Colonic Polyps

Colonic Polyps

Polyps are aggregates of abnormal tissue that usually project onto the surface of the large intestine. Not all polyps are dangerous, however, depending on their type, the larger they are, the more likely they are to develop into cancer. There are many risk factors for developing polyps, these include a previous family history of polyps or colon cancer, age, obesity, lack of exercise and smoking. Almost 40% of people over the age of 50 will develop polyps. Since it is most often an asymptomatic disease, except perhaps for blood in the stool, polyps are more likely to be found during a bowel screening. It is extremely important to get regular screening for polyps with your gastroenterologist.

To detect them, a stool test can be done to look for blood, however, one of the most accurate ways to test is a colonoscopy. During a colonoscopy the gastroenterologist will insert a colonoscope, a thin tube with a camera and light, into the rectum and advance it to the end of the large intestine. This allows the polyps to be removed, or polypectomy, during the same procedure. Polypectomy is usually done through a wire passed through the endoscope that surrounds and removes the polyp, it is a completely painless procedure. Colonoscopy is generally one of the best tests for finding polyps, an extremely safe test when performed by an experienced and qualified gastroenterologist in a safe and modern environment. Dr. Desalermos has successfully performed thousands of colonoscopies under conditions of continuous evaluation by recording the rate of finding polyps, which is constantly well above the internationally accepted limit of 20%. Colon cancer, when detected at an early stage, is curable in 90% of cases, which is why screening is absolutely essential!