An intestinal polyp is a bulging lesion on the surface of the intestinal mucosa, or in layman’s terms, a lump of flesh growing in the intestinal canal. Most of them grow in the rectum and sigmoid colon, which is also a good site for colon cancer.
Symptoms of intestinal polyps] 1. A few patients can have hidden pain, which is usually not very intense, unless the polyps are particularly large or prolapse from the anus, which will produce more painful symptoms.
2, there can be bloody stool, which is caused by ulceration and erosion on the surface of colon polyps, characterized by relatively small amount of bleeding, light in color, and intermittent, attached to the surface of the stool, rarely bleeding in large amounts.
High-risk groups for colon polyps】 1. family members with colon cancer or colon polyps; 2. long-term living in polyp-prone areas; 3. long-term westernized diet ( high fat, high animal protein, low fiber, etc.), fried food; 4. age greater than 50 years; 5. related diseases, such as liver cirrhosis, breast cancer, etc.
The importance of early examination] Because most colon polyps are asymptomatic, once symptoms appear, most of them are relatively large polyps, or polyps have become cancerous, so early examination is particularly important, through which it can be clear how big the polyps are and how far they have developed. The polyp should be cut out in time, and the incidence of colorectal cancer can be reduced by 70%-90% when compared with normal people after cutting.
Examination methods] Depending on the clinical symptoms, there are mainly rectal examination, barium enema fluoroscopy and colonoscopy. Barium enema fluoroscopy and colonoscopy are the two methods that are mostly used in hospitals. Barium enema fluoroscopy is similar to the barium meal that we do, which is to put barium into the large intestine through the anus. However, it is difficult to detect polyps smaller than 0.5 cm in diameter. Compared with barium fluoroscopy, the accuracy of colonoscopy is much higher.
What are the current treatment methods for intestinal polyps?
1.Colonoscopy can be used for both examination and treatment. The superiority of colonoscopy is that the size of polyps can be clearly seen.
2.Electrocautery and electrocoagulation are used to burn down the polyp, and this electrocoagulation is safer, it can stop the bleeding.
3.Surgical excision. For polyps with moderate to severe atypical hyperplasia or cancer after biopsy, surgical resection is the only option.