[Endoscopic removal of large colonic lipomas]

Lipomas are benign tumours that are sometimes found in the colon, where they may cause symptoms through constriction and blood loss. Until recently, surgical removal of large lipomas was the therapy of choice, because of the danger of bleeding and perforation during endoscopy. The endoloop (PolyLoop, Olympus Medical Systems Corp., Tokyo, Japan), by use of which the base of the lipoma is constricted by a nylon loop, has changed this approach. We describe the successful removal of a large lipoma located in the ascending colon in 2 patients who were referred shortly after one another to the endoscopy department of our hospital. This endoscopic technique should be considered for removal of large pedunculated polyps in the intestine.