Lipomas of the Colon - Limitations of Endoscopic Treatment

Lipoma of the colon is a benign neoplasm arising in the submucosal layer of the intestinal wall. It appears frequently as a small polypoid mass with sharp contours and a broad stalk. The leasion may be asymptomatic when small and may be detected incidentally during prevention colonoscopy. Our patient had no symptoms but we saw a giant lipoma whit an accelerated growth. Because the increase morbidity of the patient we tried the endoscopical resection. The routine endoscopic removal of lipomas is controversial. Numerous reports document the safe removal by snare electrocautery, but the large size of lipomas and their submucosal location increase the risk of perforation during and after endoscopic removal. Ultimately the patient had to underwent an operation for resection of the whole lipoma.