[Diagnostic and therapeutic reflections on polyps and polyposis of the large intestine]

The systematic employment of pancolonoscopy in patients with diseases of the large intestine has shown that histological typing is essential when a polyp or polyposis is observed, since this is the only way prognosis can determined, and is only possible through endoscopic polypectomy. Familial investigation is also mandatory. If its findings are positive, every "polyp", irrespective of its number, site, and distribution, is a possible sign of polyposis. In this context, rectum preservation techniques are justified in relation to factors associated with both the polyp itself and its host.