COLON POLYPS

Course overview

COLON POLYPS ARE PROTRUSIONS OCCURRING IN THE COLON LUMEN MOST COMMONLY SPORADIC OR AS PART OF OTHER SYNDROMES. POLYPS ARE CLASSIFIED AS DIMINUTIVE IF 5 MM IN DIAMETER OR LESS, SMALL IF 6 TO 9 MM, OR LARGE IF THEY ARE 1 CM IN DIAMETER OR MORE. POLYPS CAN BE DEPRESSED, FLAT, SESSILE OR PEDUNCULATED. FEW POLYPS ARISE FROM SUBMUCOSA INCLUDING LIPOMAS, CARCINOIDS OR LYMPHOID AGGREGATES. MOST COMMONLY, HOWEVER, THEY RESULT FROM THE MUCOSA, AND THEY CAN BE ADENOMATOUS, SERRATED, OR NON-NEOPLASTIC. HYPERPLASTIC POLYPS ARE VERY COMMON AND HAVE A VERY LOW MALIGNANT POTENTIAL. THEY ARE ENCOUNTERED MORE IN THE DISTAL COLON. JUVENILE POLYPS ARE BENIGN HAMARTOMAS AND ARE COMMON IN CHILDHOOD. THIS ACTIVITY REVIEWS THE PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF COLONIC POLYPS, PRESENTATION, AND DIAGNOSIS AND HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN ITS MANAGEMENT.