endoscopic polyp removal
Last reviewed 01/2018
Polyp removal from the colon is achieved with a colonoscope; it is the most frequent therapeutic procedure carried out during colonoscopy.
For small polyps, the end of the polyp nearest the bowel wall is grasped with forceps and compressed. The false pedicle created is then heated by passing a diathermy current; this excises the polyp.
Larger polyps may prove too difficult to remove by such hot biopsy - the heat sink effect of surrounding tissue may not permit sufficient cutting. Options include physically dragging the polyp into the rectum for direct surgical excision, removal at laparotomy, or, more rarely, endoscopic injection of a sclerosant solution into the polyp stalk.