Limitations of the determination of faecal calprotectin in patients with ulcerative colitis and inflammatory polyps. / Limitaciones de la determinación de calprotectina fecal en pacientes con colitis ulcerosa y pólipos inflamatorios.

INTRODUCTION: Faecal calprotectin is a useful technique for detecting activity in patients with ulcerative colitis. However, there may be high levels due to factors other than the activity of ulcerative colitis. Our aim was to analyse possible false positive results of calprotectin for the activity of ulcerative colitis owing to the presence of inflammatory polyps. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective, observational, descriptive study. Data was collected from patients monitored for 2 years in whom a colonoscopy had been requested within 3 months after detecting high calprotectin values (>150µg/g) and before modifying the treatment. RESULTS: We reviewed 39 patients and in 5 of them, with previous diagnosis of extensive ulcerative colitis, inflammatory polyps were detected. Three patients were on treatment with mesalazine, one with azathioprine and other with infliximab. All of them were asymptomatic and the endoscopy did not show macroscopic activity (endoscopic Mayo score=0) or histological activity. The median values of calprotectin were 422µg/g (IQR: 298-2,408) and they remained elevated in a second measurement. In 4 of the patients the inflammatory polyps were multiple and small in size. The other patient had a polyp measuring 4cm. DISCUSSION: In clinical practice we can find high faecal calprotectin levels not due to the presence of ulcerative colitis activity, but due to other lesions such as inflammatory polyps. This fact must be taken into account before carrying out relevant changes such as step-up therapy to immunosuppressive drugs or biological drugs in patients with confirmed high calprotectin levels.

Needle knife-assisted polypectomy in hot snare-resistant fibrotic inflammatory polyps / Polipectomia assistida por bisturi-agulha em pólipos inflamatórios fibróticos resistentes à cauterização por laço

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory polyps are common sequelae in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Those polyps can usually be removed with snare polypectomy. There were limited data evaluating the management of hot snare-resistant inflammatory polyps. METHODS: We reported on two cases with hot snare-resistant inflammatory polyps, one was a Crohn's disease (CD) patient with the polyp at the ileo-colonic anastomosis (ICA) and the other one was an ulcerative colitis (UC) patient with polyp at the pouch inlet. RESULTS: Sedated endoscopy was performed, which showed a large 2.5 cm pedunculated polyp at the ICA in the first patient and a large 5 cm pedunculated polyp at the pouch inlet in the second patient. Hot snare polypectomy was initially attempted, but failed in both patients. Then endoscopic needle knife polypectomy was performed, which helped complete polypectomy. Both procedures took approximately 25 minutes each. The patients tolerated the procedure well and continued to do well after the procedure. The final pathological diagnoses for both patients were inflammatory polyps with extensive fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic needle knife-assisted polypectomy appeared to be an effective technique for the management of hot snare-resistant inflammatory polyps. (AU)

EXPERIÊNCIA: Pólipos inflamatórios são sequelas comuns em pacientes com doença intestinal inflamatória (DII). Geralmente esses pólipos podem ser removidos pela polipectomia por cauterização com laço. São limitados os dados que avaliam o tratamento de pólipos inflamatórios resistentes à cauterização por laço. MÉTODOS: Descrevemos dois casos com pólipos inflamatórios resistentes à cauterização por laço; um deles se tratava de paciente com doença de Crohn (DC) com o pólipo na anastomose íleo-colônica (AIC), e o outro era paciente de colite ulcerativa (CU) com pólipo na entrada da bolsa. RESULTADOS: Foi efetuada uma endoscopia com o paciente sedado, demonstrando um grande pólipo pedunculado (2,5 cm) na AIC do primeiro paciente e um grande pólipo pedunculado (5 cm) na abertura da bolsa no segundo paciente. Inicialmente, foi tentada polipectomia por cauterização com laço, que falhou nos dois pacientes. Foi então executada a polipectomia assistida por bisturi-agulha, que ajudou na polipectomia completa. Os dois procedimentos levaram 25 minutos cada. Os pacientes toleraram satisfatoriamente o procedimento e, depois da polipectomia, ficaram bem. Os diagnósticos patológicos finais para os dois pacientes foram pólipos inflamatórios com fibrose extensa. CONCLUSÕES: Ao que parece, a polipectomia endoscópica por bisturi-agulha é técnica efetiva para o tratamento de pólipos inflamatórios resistentes à cauterização por laço. (AU)