falk symposium no. 82, held in halle, germany, november 1994, focuses on the advances made in understanding the aetiology and pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (ibd). sections of this book, the proceedings of the conference, are devoted to extraintestinal manifestations, cancer development, ibd in the context of pregnancy, and the assessment of disease activity, prognosis and quality of life. the second half of the book is devoted to the discussion of standards and new developments in diagnosis, conservative management and surgery. audience: all clinicians and basic scientists working in the field of ibd.