Experience In Diagnosis And Treatment Of Colorectal Polyps In Children Treated At Hospital María, Especialidades Pediátricas.

Abstract

Introduction: Colorectal polyps are a common reason for pediatric consultations and one of the most frequent causes of gastrointestinal bleeding in children. Objective: To describe the clinical, epidemiological, endoscopic, and histological characteristics of pediatric patients diagnosed with colorectal polyps treated at the Hospital María, Especialidades Pediátricas (HMEP) from January 2019 to December 2023. Methodology: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. Included were patients under 18 years of age, with colonoscopy studies. Quantitative variables were analyzed using normality test to explore data distribution, estimating means of central tendency and dispersion. Categorical variables are expressed as absolute and relative frequencies. Results: A total of 119 patients were analyzed. A higher frequency of patients with polyps was observed in children aged 2 to 5 years, at 58% (69/119). 51.3% (61/119) were female. 16% (19/119) had a personal history of polyp expulsion before the first specialist visit. The most frequent symptoms were lower gastrointestinal bleeding; 98.3% (117/119), rectal prolapse 52.9% (63/119). The most frequent location was: anal canal 75.6% (90/119); anal canal and colon 18.5% (22/119); colon 5.8% (7/119). 50.4% (60/119) presented a solitary polyp. 81.5% (97/119) presented with polyps larger than one centimeter. Histologically, juvenile polyps predominated at 99% (99/100). Conclusions: Colorectal polyps are a relatively common condition in children, so their suspicion is important in the presence of rectal bleeding, especially in schoolchildren.