Topical therapies in inflammatory bowel disease.

Due to misunderstandings about their effectiveness and feasibility, topical (or rectal) therapies with aminosalicylates (5-aminosalicylic acid, 5-ASA) and steroids are often underused in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). However, many of these patients could be treated solely with rectal/topical therapies, or could benefit from them in combination with oral therapies. We review the evidence for topical therapies containing 5-ASA and budesonide in UC and discuss how these therapies can be optimized in daily practice, thereby improving compliance. Finally, we provide a brief summary of studies on the use of other topical treatments in UC, the results of which were both promising and negative.