Radiologic Diagnosis of Polyps of the Colon in Children1

Abstract

Because of the importance of early and accurate recognition of polypoid lesions of the colon, in order to prevent death from cancer, the emphasis in radiologic diagnosis of colonic polyps has been upon the adult patient (2, 4, 8, 10, 11). The polyps found in childhood are not precancerous (6), except in familial multiple polyposis, and bleeding per rectum is the chief clinical problem. The rigors of preparation and the co-operation needed from the patient in the performance of a barium-enema study make the direct application of adult procedures awkward in children. This report presents the experience in The Montreal Children's Hospital from 1946 to 1959 with polyps of the large intestine and describes a simple and accurate method of radiologic diagnosis. Radiologic Examination The method of radiologic search for polyps of the colon is basically that described by Christie, Coe, Hampton, and Wyatt (4), modified to permit examination of the entire mucosa. It was found that several enemas over a short time wi...