Usefulness of biodegradable polydioxanone stents in the treatment of postsurgical colorectal strictures and fistulas.

Benign colonic strictures and fistulas are a growing problem presenting most commonly after bowel resection. Standard treatment is with endoscopic bougies or, more usually, balloon dilation. When these approaches are not successful, other solutions are available and different endoscopic and surgical approaches have been used to treat fistulas. We present an additional option--biodegradable stents--for the treatment of colonic strictures and fistulas that have proven refractory to other endoscopic interventions. We analyzed the results from 10 patients with either a postsurgical colorectal stricture (n =7) or rectocutaneous fistula (n =3) treated with the biodegradable SX-ELLA esophageal stent (covered or uncovered). Stents were successfully placed in nine patients, although early migration subsequently occurred in one. Placement was impossible in one patient due to deformity of the area and the fact that the stricture was approximately 30cm from the anus. The fistulas were successfully closed in all patients, although symptoms reappeared in one patient. In the six patients who received stents for strictures, symptoms resolved in five; in the remaining patient, the stent migrated shortly after the endoscopy. Treatment of colonic strictures and rectocutaneous fistulas with biodegradable stents is an effective alternative in the short-to-medium term. The stent does not have to be removed and is subject to very few complications. The drawbacks of this approach are the need to repeat the procedure in some patients and the lack of published series on efficacy.

Endoscopic resection of large colorectal polyps.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic polypectomy is a common technique, but there are discrepancies over which treatment--surgical or endoscopic--to follow in case of polyps of 2 cm or larger. OBJECTIVES: To analyse the efficacy and complications of colonoscopic polypectomy of large colorectal polyps. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 147 polypectomies were performed on 142 patients over an eight-year period. The technique used was that of submucosal adrenaline 1:10000 or saline injection at the base of the polyp, followed by resection of the polyp using a diathermic snare in the smallest number of fragments. Remnant adenomatous tissue was fulgurated with an argon plasma coagulator. Lately, prophylactic hemoclips have been used for thick-pedicle polyps. Complete removal was defined as when a polyp was completely resected in one or more polypectomy sessions. Polypectomy failure was defined as when a polyp could not be completely resected or contained an invasive carcinoma. RESULTS: The mean patient age was 67.9 years (range, 4-90 years), with 68 men and 79 women. There were 74 sessile polyps, and the most common location was the sigmoid colon. The most frequent histology was tubulovillous. Most of the polyps (96.6%), were resected and cured. This was not achieved in four cases of invasive carcinoma, and a villous polyp of the cecum. All pedunculated polyps were resected in one session, whereas the average number of colonoscopies for sessile polyps was 1.35 +/- 0.6 (range, 1-4). The polypectomy was curative in all of the in situ carcinomata except one. As for complications, 2 colonic perforations (requiring surgery) and 8 hemorrhages appeared, which were controlled via endoscopy. There was no associated mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic polypectomy of large polyps (> or =2 cm) is a safe, effective treatment, though it is not free from complications. Complete resection is achieved in a high percentage, and there are few relapses. It should be considered a technique of choice for this type of polyp, except in cases of invasive carcinoma.