Ganglioneuromatous Polyposis of the Colon: a Case Report and a Review of the Literature

• Main Authors: Cristina D'Ercole, Angelo Zullo, Maria Consiglia Bragazzi, Cesare Hassan, Roberto Lorenzetti, Salvatore Maria Antonio Campo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd. 2011-01-01
• Series: Journal of Digestive Endoscopy
• Subjects: colonic polyps; ganglioneuromatous polyposis; enteric nervous system
• Online Access: http://www.thieme-connect.de/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-0039-1700255
• ISSN: 0976-5042; 0976-5050

This report discusses a case of ganglioneuromatous polyposis of the colon in a woman without any other systemic manifestations. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the few cases of intestinal ganglioneuromatosis described in the literature presenting with abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea as unique clinical signs, with multiple polyps confined in the right side of the transverse colon and in the ascending colon. Of note, the endoscopic feature of such a rare entity - which involves the enteric nervous system - may mimic that of sessile adenomatous polyps which are diagnosed at routine colonoscopy. We emphasized that this condition may be misdiagnosed, and we reviewed the reported cases in the literature. (J Dig Endosc 2011;2(1):18-21)