Gastrointestinal polyps and polyposis in children

Gastrointestinal polyps and polyposis represent the most frequent cause of rectal bleeding in children, hence the interest in performing the necessary endoscopic examinations to search for polyps in children with rectal bleeding in order to detect in time certain forms of gastrointestinal polyposis exposing to a risk of degeneration and occurrence of tumors even in the extra digestive tract.This study involved 13 children with eight juvenile polyps, one hyperplastic gastric polyp, one juvenile polyposis and three cases of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. Clinical signs were dominated by rectal bleeding (77%). The clinical examination showed externalization of the polyp at the anal margin in one case. The rectal examination revealed the polyp in 5 cases and a periorificial and mucosal lentiginosis in the 3 cases of Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. 6 rectal polyps underwent endoscopic polypectomy with simple follow-up. Surgical treatment of the polyps was performed in 3 cases. Complications were observed in 3 cases: mucinous cystadenoma of the left ovary in one case and acute intestinal invagination in 2 cases.