“Are colonic polyps surgically removed?”
My doctor found polyps in my colon and we didn't discuss treatment because I had to leave his office right after. I'm following up with him at the end of this week, but I'm wondering, do polyps need to be surgically removed? Are there other treatments?
5 Answers
Yes, they are removed normally by colonscopy, if not then Surgery. They can be cancerous.
Typically small polyps are removed at the time of colonoscopy. Larger polyps may be biopsied, and surgical removal may depend on the pathology on the biopsy. Some times larger polyps will be monitored over time with serial colonoscopies.
When polyps are found on colonoscopy, they are usually removed at that time. If they could not be removed, then they are marked with ink and removed during a subsequent colonoscopy at a later date. If the polyp cannot be removed, then the final recommendation would be to remove the polyp with surgery. It is important to know if the pathology shows cancer or potential cancer before proceeding with surgery.
The majority of colon polyps can be removed during colonoscopy. Sometime they require several colonoscopies to remove them completely. Surgery is used for very large numbers of polyps, polyps with very large bases that have obstruction, bleeding or cancer potential and cancerous polyps.
The best way is to get them removed. They get well in a short time and you do not have to go through the headache of dealing with them every day.
I wish you well,
Oledochouse
I wish you well,
Oledochouse
