Timothy R. Koch, MD, has assembled a panel of innovative basic researchers, esteemed clinical investigators, and well-known clinicians to bridge the gap between basic and clinical research and the day-to-day care of patients with colonic disorders. After a review of the basic science and mechanisms of colonic diseases, the authors fully discuss potential symptoms, pathological and radiological findings, the differential diagnosis, and presently recommended evaluation and therapy, including the use of probiotics. New areas of potential treatment not presently available for patients with chronic symptoms are also examined, along with the advanced treatment techniques currently in use at the Cleveland Clinic (for ulcerative colitis), The University of Chicago (for Crohn's disease), the Mayo Clinic (for irritable bowel syndrome), and the MD Anderson Cancer Center (for colorectal cancer).