Ricerc@Sapienza

The prevalence of sporadic duodenal polyps is estimated to be 0.3%-4.6% in patients referred for an upper endoscopy. Most of patients are asymptomatic (66-80%) at the time of diagnosis though bleeding, anemia and abdominal pain are the most commonly reported symptoms. These are related to the polyp's size, location and histological characteristics. We describe three cases of big, pedunculated nonampullary sporadic duodenal polyps (tubulovillous low-grade dysplasia adenomas) located in the second part of the duodenum and characterized by different clinical presentations, managed in our Endoscopic Unit within one year (between 2016 and 2017). Polypectomies were performed, either piece-meal or en-bloc using various endoscopic instruments. In one of our patients (case 1), a delayed bleeding (36 hours after the procedure) occurred eventually managed conservatively with two units of blood transfusion. In the same patient, in the following months after polypectomy, the pre-procedural state of anemia misclassified as Mediterranean anemia has improved with a significant rise of hemoglobin value (14.1g/dl). In a patient who previously underwent a renal transplant (case 2), endoscopy was indicated, based on the positive fecal occult blood test. In another patient (case 3), a big polyp induced pancreatitis since it exerted a strong traction on the duodenal wall during peristaltic movements. The removal of the polyp has led to the resolution of pancreatitis and associated symptoms.