Repeat Colonoscopy by Skilled Endoscopist Before Surgery for Large Polyps

Many endoscopists at tertiary centers receive inquiries from their colorectal or general surgeons as to whether a patient referred from a community-based center for segmental resection for a colon polyp might undergo endoscopic resection instead. In my own experience, not only is the lesion frequently endoscopically resectable but is often resected without great difficulty. So, how often can noncancerous polyps referred for surgery be successfully treated with endoscopy?

To answer this question, researchers from a university hospital retrospectively examined data from repeat colonoscopies of 36 patients who had been referred for surgical resection of noncancerous polyps. Of 38 total lesions, 27 (71%) were successfully treated endoscopically,…