Gastrointestinal Pathology: Large Intestine: Polyposis Coli: (Juvenile or Adenomatous)

Miss Valerie W., aged 21, first came under medical care at the age of 13 when she was admitted to Putney Hospital and a right hemicolectomy performed for intussusception which had been initiated by one of the numerous polyps found inside the excised specimen. A few years later she began to pass blood and mucus per rectum and to prolapse several polyps out of the anus. On examination a mass of polyps in the rectum, most of which were smooth and bright red, were seen. Histological examinatiion of a few of these revealed juvenile polyps. Barium enema revealedmore polyps in the sigmoid and descending colon. As she was considered to have juvenile polyposis coli, which is not a pre-malignant condition, it was decided to remove the polyps without doing a colectomy. Two colotomies were performed and 15 polyps removed from the sigmoid colon. 180 were then removed from the rectum through a sigmoidoscope. The polyps were plucked off without any difficulty like grapes and very little bleeding resulted.