Morphological Study of the Polypoid Lesions of the Gastrointestinal Tract

Objective: This study was carried out to evaluate the frequency, of polypoid lesions of the gastrointestinal tract and to observe the frequency of dysplastic / malignant change in these polyps. Design: This was a 13-years retrospective study. Setting: Department of Pathology, Basic Medical Sciences Institute (BMSI), JPMC Karachi and included all polypoid lesions from the attached hospital, Pakistan Medical Research Council (PMRC) and small numbers from private clinics, from January 1991 to December 2003. Subjects: This study was based on the review of 152 Polypoid lesions of gastrointestinal tract. The relevant clinical data and parameters like size, number ,presence or absence of stalk, were recorded. The polyps were classified histologically in adenomatous, hamartomatous, inflammatory, neoplastic other than adenomatous and miscellaneous type. Results: Large intestine was the commonest site where 142 out of 152 polyps were found. Juvenile polyps were the commonest finding. Six polyps were found in the stomach, three in the small intestine,and one was in esophagus. Conclusion: In comparison with studies from western countries, polypoid lesions especially adenomatous polyps were found less common in the population of Karachi. This study was based on hospital admission and as such do not give any idea of the true incidence of the polyps. There is a need for developing a registry for cases of polyps/polyposis.