Epithelial polyps of the large bowel: a pathological and colonoscopic study.

Ninety patients who had epithelial polyps or carcinoma of the large bowel and underwent at least 2 colonscopic examinations were studied. The cases were divided into three groups: patients who ;ad only one polyp; those in whom more than one epithelial polyp were found and those who had adenocarcinoma of the large bowel and underwent follow-up colonoscopic examinations. The distribution of the polpys was plotted as to type and distribution in the colon. There seemed to be a trend for the polyp found in follow-up examinations to be located proximal to the splenic flexure. In this regard it was noted that the subsequently found polyps in group II were smaller than those removed on the initial colonoscopic examination. No relationship could be found between any histologic type of epithelial polyp and the presence of carcinoma.