Table 2.

Criteria for assessment of microscopic rectal damage.

Score	Observation
0	Normal colonic mucosa
1	Loss of one-third of the crypts
2	Loss of two-thirds of the crypts
3	Lamina propria covered with a single layer of epithelial cells, with mild inflammatory cell infiltration
4	Erosions and marked inflammatory cell infiltration

Mucosal damage was scored 0–4 based on the loss of crypts (mucosa) and infiltration of inflammatory cells (maximum score = 4).