This article reviews important papers on inflammatory bowel disease published between May 1998 and June 1999. It does not review every aspect of treatment, but focuses on the effects of anti-tumor necrosis factor antibodies on the inflammatory lesions. The new information summarized includes: the role of bacteria and the modulating effects of probiotics; the frequency of appendiceal orifice inflammation in ulcerative colitis; progress in imaging based on endoscopic ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, and leukocyte scintigraphy; frequency and treatment of massive hemorrhage, viral superinfection, and persistent perineal sinus; and the pathogenesis, detection, and treatment of dysplasia and cancer.