A double-headed polyp

Mohammed Amine Benatta^a, Ariane Desjeux^b, Jean-Charles Grimaud^b

Military University Hospital, Oran, Algeria; Hopital Nord Marseille France

^aGastroenterology Department, Military University Hospital, Oran, Algeria (Amine Benatta); ^bGastroenterology Department, Hospital Nord Marseille France (Ariane Desjeux, Jean-Charles Grimaud)

Conflict of Interest: None

Correspondence to: Mohammed Amine Benatta, 156 Bakhti Nouba Oran, Algeria, e-mail: benattaamine@yahoo.fr

Received 5 July 2012; accepted 15 July 2012

A 50-year-old man was seen as an outpatient for isolated, minimal and intermittent lower gastrointestinal bleeding. He had a history of well-controlled hypertension and diabetes. During his colonoscopy, a polyp with two heads that shared a common long and large stalk was encountered in the sigmoid colon (Fig. 1A).

The heads were approximately 2 cm and 3 cm in size. Because of their overall size the heads were separately resected via a hot snare. The 3 cm head’s size was removed first (Fig. 1B) then the second head and the stalk in one piece (Fig. 1C). Hemostasis was observed and the patient recovered well after the polypectomy.

This is a rare image of a double-headed polyp. The only reported endoscopic image described two polyps on a common stalk [1]. In our case, the histology of both heads revealed the same adenomatous structure with high-grade dysplasia, which suggests a common origin and also that they were twin heads. The difference of size may be due to mechanical stimuli.

Reference

1. Olson MR, Govil YK. Two polyps on a common stalk. Gastrointest Endosc 2011;74:692.