[Complications and possible risk factors in endoscopic polypectomy of the colon]

We review the incidence of iatrogenic complications in a serie of 661 patients who underwent endoscopic polypectomy, performed by the same team of endoscopists and using similar technique. We discuss the role of age, sex, associated diseases, coagulation abnormalities and polyp features (size, location, shape and malignancy) in the development of complications. Five severe complications (0.75%, 3 hemorrhages and 2 perforations) were detected. Two patients required blood transfusion and two other patients surgical treatment. Recovery was successful in all patients. In eight patients (1.21%) mild complications which did not required further treatment were present. According to previously published data, these results are satisfactory. Polyp size proved to be the only risk factor with statistical significance; 23.36 +/- 14.17 mm. in complicated polypectomies vs 8.12 +/- 4.21 mm. in non-complicated cases (p less than 0.001). The remaining parameters analyzed showed no significance and therefore no predictive value.