Model studies of diversion colitis showed changes occurring in the tissue content and in the expression pattern of the different subtypes of mucins in the colonic crypts when comparing segments with and without fecal transit 10-12. However, it is unclear if these changes are related to changes in the population of goblet cells or increased production capacity of mucus by chronically inflamed epithelial cells. There is evidence of atrophy of intestinal crypts in excluded segments when comparing segments with and without intestinal transit, but controversy exists regarding the population of cells. Likewise, the influence of time of fecal exclusion in the number of goblet cells is not yet well established. It is believed that, over time, there is a proportional increase in the number of these cells in the excluded colon 10. However, few studies have measured the population of goblet cells in colonic crypts comparing segments with and without fecal stream at different periods of exclusion, relating it to the thickness of the intestinal crypts 9,13,14. The quantification of the number of goblet cells with a precise method of analysis could clarify whether there would be a proportional increase in the number of goblet cells, which could explain the symptoms of patients, despite the atrophy of crypts found in the segments without transit