The Role of Colorectal Polyps in the Etiology of Lower Gastro-intestinal Bleeding in Children

In children, colorectal polyps most commonly present with rectal bleeding. The aim of this study was to establish some correlations between clinical, endoscopic/ histopathological aspects and therapeutic options in pediatric colorectal polyps. The experimental group included 253 children aged between 1 and 18 years, patients being included based on the presence of rectal bleeding associated with abdominal pain and/or constipation, established through colonoscopic examination. 39 polyps were identified: 37 with single lesions and 2 with multiple lesions. The solitary polyps, located mostly in the rectum and sigmoid, having sizes between 1 and 2.5 cm, were removed during the same colonoscopy. Pathology showed inflammatory aspects and two cases of hamartomatous polyps in a Peutz-Jeghers and a Bannayan-Ryley syndrome. Colonoscopy should routinely be recommended in children with suspected polyps; in multiple lesions, periodic surveillance by colonoscopy and histology is mandatory.