[Endoscopic polypectomy of the upper digestive tract]

From 1985 to 1987 we performed 82 endoscopic polipectomies in 80 patients. In this paper we refer the technics, epidemiological data and macro and microscopical findings of the resected specimens. Two patients with gastric cancer were treated in this way, these patients had formal surgical contraindication. In two patients in whom the endoscopic biopsies could not render a definitive diagnosis (cancer or atypical epithelium), the study of the resected tumor permitted the diagnosis of atypical epithelium, so two gastrectomies were avoided. Among our resected lesions we found 55 of inflammatory type, 6 adenomas and 7 atypical epithelium. We consider that this is a useful method for the diagnosis and treatment of some elevated lesions. Although this is not the treatment of choice for the elevated early cancer, it could be used to treat cancerous tumors in patients with high surgical risk.