Postpolypectomy Syndrome in Detail

Most large studies that describe electrocoagulation injuries from colonoscopy focus on perforation and mention a few cases of postpolypectomy coagulation syndrome (PPCS), which are often outnumbered by perforations. Now, a retrospective study from Korea focuses solely on PPCS.

PPCS was defined as presence of abdominal pain, fever, leukocytosis, raised C-reactive protein (CRP), or peritoneal irritation symptoms or signs that required hospitalization and occurred after polypectomy, with electrocoagulation and with no evidence of perforation by abdominal CT.

Among 47,083 consecutive patients who underwent polypectomy, investigators identified 34 patients with PPCS (0.7 per 1000). Results were as follows:

• The mean time between polypectomy and the …