The endoscopic polypectomy It is a technique that allows the removal of polyps located in the digestive tract, both at a high level (esophagus, stomach or duodenum) and at a low level (colon).
What are your indications?
The removal of polyps in the digestive tract is necessary for an adequate diagnosis and treatment of early premalignant or malignant lesions, avoiding in a large proportion of cases the possible progression of these polyps towards malignant lesions that would require more aggressive treatments (surgery, cancer treatments )
How is endoscopic polypectomy and mucosectomy performed?
The removal is performed with different instruments according to the size and shape of the polyp. Small polyps can be resected with a clamp that allows biting and eliminating the polyp. In the case of larger polyps, it is usually necessary to use a handle (similar to a loop), which allows the polyp to be hugged and cut using an electric current.
Theendoscopic mucosectomy It is used in case of larger and usually flat (carpet-shaped) polyps, and involves the injection of a substance into the deeper layers of the digestive tract to separate the polyp from the rest of the wall, so that the removal It can be done with a handle more safely.
The most common is that the examination is performed under sedation, so the patient will not notice anything. In any case, polypectomy is not a treatment that produces pain, although it may be possible that they appear to be discomfort in relation to insufflated air during its performance. Endoscopic polypectomy is a safe diagnostic and treatment procedure.
In any case, the risk of complications varies depending on the size, location of the polyp and certain characteristics of the patient (such as taking anticoagulant or antiplatelet drugs), so that larger polyps have a higher risk of complications. The most frequent complication (less than 3% of polypectomies) is bleeding from the polypectomy scar. In many cases the bleeding is mild and only requires vigilance.