Ascending colon ganglioneuroma.

Robert Bagdasaryan, MD  65 year old gentleman underWent screening colonoscopy. A 5 mm polyp has been identified in the distal ascending colon and has been excised. Microscopically, spindle-shaped cells along with a collection of ganglion cells are identified in the sections taken from the polyp. Ganglioneuromas are mature, benign tumors composed of a proliferation of nerve fibers, Schwann cells and ganglion cells. They most commonly arise in the posterior mediastinum and the retroperitoneum. Ganglioneuromas of the intestinal tract are less common and can occur at any level, from the stomach to the anus, and even described in the gallbladder. They are most common in the colon and rectum. Intestinal ganglioneuromas fall into three main groups: