[Colonic ischaemia - a condition with an atypical clinical presentation; timely recognition and treatment improve prognosis]. / Colonischemie: aandoening met aspecifiek ziektebeeld.

The incidence of colonic ischaemia has risen in recent decades because of the ageing population. Patients with colonic ischaemia present with mild abdominal pain, rectal blood loss and/or diarrhoea. However, no pathognomonic signs have been described. Signs of peritonitis are often absent and serum lactate may be normal. This makes prompt recognition and diagnosis difficult, while early treatment with close monitoring is important to optimise prognosis. Computed tomography may have suggestive findings and exclude other causes of abdominal pain, but endoscopy remains the gold standard for confirming the diagnosis. Colonic ischaemia is mostly located in the left colon and has a relatively good prognosis. However, the presence of right-sided ischaemic colitis should alert physicians, because these patients have a worse prognosis, increased need for surgery and they also experience higher mortality rates.

Nonpolypoid colorectal neoplasms: a challenge in endoscopic surveillance of patients with Lynch syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Patients with Lynch syndrome may develop colorectal cancer (CRC), despite intensive colonoscopic surveillance. Nonpolypoid colorectal neoplasms might be a major contributor to the occurrence of these cancers. The aim of this case - control study was to compare the endoscopic appearance of colorectal neoplasms between patients with Lynch syndrome and control individuals at average risk for CRC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The endoscopists at the Maastricht University Medical Center were first given training to ensure familiarity with the appearance and classification of nonpolypoid lesions. Patients with Lynch syndrome and patients at average risk for CRC who underwent elective colonoscopy at the Center were prospectively included. Nonpolypoid lesions were defined as lesions with a height of less than half the diameter, and advanced histology was defined as the presence of high grade dysplasia or early cancer. RESULTS: A total of 59 patients with Lynch syndrome (mean age 48.7 years, 47.5 % men) and 590 matched controls (mean age 50.2 years, 47.5 % men) were included. In patients with Lynch syndrome, adenomas were significantly more likely to be nonpolypoid than they were in controls: 43.3 % vs. 16.9 % (OR 3.60, 95 %CI 1.90 - 6.83; P < 0.001). This was particularly true for proximal adenomas: 58.1 % vs. 16.3 % (OR 6.93, 95 %CI 2.92 - 16.40; P < 0.001). Adenomas containing advanced histology were more often nonpolypoid in patients with Lynch syndrome than in controls (4/5, 80.0 % vs. 5/17, 29.4 %; P = 0.19). Serrated polyps were also more often nonpolypoid in patients with Lynch syndrome than in controls: 49.2 % vs. 20.4 % (OR 3.57, 95 %CI 1.91 - 6.68; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with Lynch syndrome, colorectal neoplasms are more likely to have a nonpolypoid shape than those from average risk patients, especially in the proximal colon. These findings suggest that proficiency in recognition and endoscopic resection of nonpolypoid colorectal lesions are needed to ensure colonoscopic prevention against CRC in this high risk population.

Endoscopic red flags for the detection of high-risk serrated polyps: an observational study.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: In routine practice, colonoscopy may fail to prevent colorectal cancer (CRC), especially in the proximal colon. A better endoscopic recognition of serrated polyps is important, as this pathway may explain some of the post-colonoscopy cancers. In this study, the endoscopic characteristics of serrated polyps were examined. PATIENT AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, single-center study of all consecutive patients referred for elective colonoscopy during 1 year. The endoscopists were familiarized with the detection and treatment of nonpolypoid colorectal lesions. Serrated polyps were classified into high risk serrated polyps, defined as dysplastic or large (≥ 6 mm) proximal nondysplastic serrated polyps, and low risk serrated polyps including the remaining nondysplastic serrated polyps. Advanced colorectal neoplasms were defined as multiple (at least three),≥ 10 mm in size, high grade dysplastic adenomas or CRC. RESULTS: A total of 2309 patients were included (46.1 % men, mean age 58.4 years), of whom 2.5 % (57) had at least one high risk serrated polyp and 13.9 % (322) had at least one advanced neoplasm. Overall, serrated polyps were more often nonpolypoid than adenomas (16.2 % vs. 11.1 %; P = 0.002). In total, 65 high risk serrated polyps were found, of which 43.1 % (28) displayed a nonpolypoid endoscopic appearance. Patients with advanced neoplasms were more likely to have synchronous high risk serrated polyps than patients without advanced neoplasms: OR 3.66 (95 % CI 2.03 - 6.61, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: High risk serrated polyps are frequently nonpolypoid and are associated with synchronous advanced colorectal neoplasms. Advanced colorectal neoplasms may therefore be considered red flags for the presence of high risk serrated polyps. Detection, diagnosis, and treatment of high risk serrated lesions may be important targets to improve the quality of colonoscopic cancer prevention.