Unusual Endoscopic Findings in Children: Esophageal and Gastric Polyps: Three Cases Report

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Gastroenterology
• Digestive Endoscopy
• Pediatric Pathology

Background:

• Isolated upper digestive tract polyps are uncommon in children and typically discovered incidentally during endoscopic procedures.
• Diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for these lesions rely heavily on endoscopic and pathological evaluations.

Observation:

• A 5-year study analyzed clinical features, location, size, pathology, treatment, and progression of esophagogastric polyps in pediatric patients.
• Three lesions were identified in adolescents (13-17 years old) out of 2140 upper digestive endoscopies (0.14%).
• Presenting symptoms included heartburn, epigastric pain, and vomiting; one patient had end-stage renal disease and Kabuki syndrome.

Findings:

• Pathological findings included two esophageal polyps (one inflammatory, one with goblet cells) and a hyperplastic gastric polyp.
• Two patients treated with proton pump inhibitors showed no improvement on follow-up endoscopy.
• Treatment effectiveness was limited by patient age, comorbidities, variable response to acid suppression, and limited pediatric therapeutic endoscopy experience.

Implications:

• The rarity of pediatric upper digestive polyps necessitates personalized management strategies.
• Endoscopic diagnosis and therapy should be tailored to individual patient symptoms, polyp characteristics, comorbidities, and healthcare provider expertise.
• Further research into effective pediatric therapeutic endoscopy is warranted.