Abdominal sonography is becoming more frequently used as a primary screening procedure for the evaluation of nonspecific abdominal complaints. Bowel lesions may therefore be initially encountered during the sonographic examination. The most commonly encountered appearance is the "bull's-eye" or "target" pattern, reflecting infiltration and thickening of the bowel wall. Intraluminal lesions, especially of the large bowel, are difficult to detect sonographically because of shadowing caused by the highly echoreflective gas anteriorly and the bowel contents. An ultrasonographic evaluation of a pedunculated colonic polyp has not been reported previously.
The ultrasonic findings of a pedunculated polyp in the descending colon are presented. The sonographic appearance corresponded well with the pathologic findings.
CASE REPORT
A previously healthy 63-year-old woman was referred for barium enema examination because of discomfort in the left midabdomen of several months duration. She had noted no blood or mucus in her stool. The abdomen was soft and nontender, and no tumor was palpable. Findings from laboratory studies including examinations for occult blood in the feces were negative. Barium enema revealed a polyp in the descending colon. The surgeon, consulted following the barium enema, asked if malignancy could be ruled out in a polyp of this size. He requested an evaluation of the bowel wall thickness at the base of the polyp to determine if the polyp could be removed endoscopically .
An enema tip was placed in position, and warm isotonic saline was given with the patient in the From the