The Pulse | Friday, December 14, 2018

Word of the Week: Crypts of Lieberkühn

This week, we are highlighting “Crypts of Lieberkühn” as the Word of the Week. As always, all of the terms and definitions are sourced from our very own SGNA GI/Endoscopy Nursing Review Course Certification Study Manual, 3rd Edition (2016).

Crypts of Lieberkühn: Tubular glands that lie between the finger-like projections of the inner surface of the small intestine. The Small Bowel mucosa and submucosa are arranged in circular folds. The entire epithelial surface is replaced every 32 hours. The mucosa forms 4-5 million villi each of which is covered with a brush border consisting of multiple microvilli covering the surface of each cell.  These features all increase the absorptive surface area of the small bowel by 600 fold.  Between the villi in the “basement” are the Crypts of Lieberkühn which have many important cells that replace the epithelium, are involved in the host defense and signaling.

• Importance of Crypts of Lieberkühn
  • Are biopsied to diagnose Wilson’s Disease
  • Indicates a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis
  • Plays a role in host defense and signaling
  • Helps with the absorption of iron in the body
• Origin
  • Crypts of Lieberkühn are named after German anatomist J.N. Lieberkühn.