Volume of surgery for benign colorectal polyps in the last 11 years

Traditionally large, complex colorectal polyps were managed by surgical resection (SR), and in recent years endoscopic resection (ER) has progressed significantly. However, to what extent ER has replaced SR remains largely unknown. We performed a multicenter retrospective cohort study to assess the volume and volume changes of SR for benign colorectal polyps over the past decade.

Patients who underwent SR for a benign colorectal polyp in the Netherlands between 2005 and 2015 were selected from the prospective nationwide Dutch Pathology Registry (PALGA database). Clinical characteristics were obtained from the charts of patients who underwent SR in the province of Noord-Holland.

A total of 5937 patients were treated with SR for a colorectal polyp and the absolute (454-739 per year) and relative volumes (0.20%-0.37% per colonoscopy per year) of SR remained stable. In the province of Noord-Holland, 928 patients (15.6%) underwent SR. In these patients, submucosal lifting and ER were attempted in 19.9% (n = 175) and 15.0% (n = 134). After 2010, patients were more likely to undergo lifting (27.7% vs 11.4%, P < .001) and ER attempts (18.8% vs 10.9%, P = .001) before definitive SR. Twenty-two patients (2.4%) had been referred to another endoscopy clinic.

SR for large, complex colorectal polyps is still frequently performed and has remained stable. A small percentage of patients underwent ER attempts before SR, and referral for an additional ER attempt only occurred in a minority of cases. To increase ER attempts, implementation of a regional multidisciplinary referral network should be considered.