Audit of Costs and Treatment Patterns for Sessile Colorectal Polyp Removal

Practice patterns in the U.S. for the treatment of sessile colorectal polyps are understood poorly. In this retrospective study, researchers at a university tertiary center described treatment and associated costs for removal of sessile or broad-based pedunculated lesions of any size and histology (excluding adenocarcinomas graded higher than T₁).

From 1997 through 2000, 280 patients met inclusion criteria for this study; mean polyp size was 1.3 cm, and 85% of polyps measured 2.0 cm or smaller. Forty-four percent of polyps were located in the left colon, and 45% were in the right colon. More than 70% of polyps were adenomatous. Both open resection (mean total cost, US$6165) and laparoscopic resection (US$5522) were more expensive than piecem…