The non-neoplastic diseases of the anorectum are a very important group: not only ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, but also the millions who suffer from defaecation disorders and haemorrhoids. This meeting brings together physicians, surgeons and research workers to discuss this field under the main headings of: morphology and function, indication and efficiency of diagnostic procedures, final diagnosis by symptoms, therapeutic strategies, inflammatory diseases of the anorectum, future perspectives, and the potential of new drugs in chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.