Endoscopic mucosal resection of a rectal malakoplakia in a healthy adult.

Malakoplakia in the gastrointestinal tract is rare in healthy young people without underlying disease. Sufficient tissue is required for accurate diagnosis. We describe a malakoplakia that developed in a healthy young woman and was treated by endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR). A 40-year-old woman with a history of taking oral contraceptives until one year earlier was referred to our hospital with anal bleeding and constipation. A colonoscopy carried out at our another hospital 18 months earlier disclosed no abnormal findings. Colonoscopy at presentation revealed a yellowish-white tumor, 5 mm in diameter, in the rectum. The lesion was slightly protruded and had a smooth flat surface, without erosion or ulceration. EMR was carried out for a definitive diagnosis. Histopathological examination showed that the tumor contained granular histiocytes, positive for CD68 and negative forcytokeratin (AE1/AE3). Several histiocytes contained intracytoplasmic round bodies (Michaelis-Gutmann bodies), which reacted positively with periodic acid-Schiff and calcium (Von Kossa) stains. Intracytoplasmic Escherichia coli (von Hansemann bodies) were identified by Giemsa staining. Based on these results, the tumor in the rectum was diagnosed as a malakoplakia. Following EMR, the patient did not receive further treatment for malakoplakia because she had no symptoms associated with malakoplakia. She has been well for more than 9 months, with no symptoms of disease. Awareness of colorectal malakoplakia is important in patients taking steroids, including oral contraceptives.

Endoscopic Removal of Pedunculated Leiomyoma of the Sigmoid Colon.

BACKGROUND: The large bowel is a rare site for leiomyomas. Furthermore, a colonic pedunculated leiomyoma is very rare. Complete endoscopic removal of a colonic leiomyoma can be problematic because of its submucosal origin. CASE REPORT: We report a colonic pedunculated leiomyoma that was removed by endoscopic polypectomy without complications. A 74-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of constipation. Colonoscopy demonstrated a 1-cm pedunculated polyp that was connected to a minute stalk within the sigmoid colon. It was removed by snare polypectomy. Histopathological examination demonstrated normal mucosa overlying a well-circumscribed proliferation of eosinophilic spindle cells arising in association with the muscularis mucosae. Immunohistological findings were positive for desmin and smooth muscle actin. The polyp was diagnosed as a leiomyoma. More than 9 months later, the patient remains well, with no further symptoms. CONCLUSION: For small, pedunculated leiomyomas, endoscopic snare polypectomy is thought to be a useful approach for both treatment and diagnosis.