What are polyps in the intestines? Symptoms, diagnosis, treatment methods, rehabilitation period after removal

What are polyps in the intestines? These are benign neoplasms formed from the glandular epithelium and having a wide base or foot. The disease is mostly asymptomatic. Signs appear with an increase in the volume of polyps. This pathology is quite common. Mostly, neoplasms are detected in the rectum and colon. To date, there is no consensus on the nature of their origin. Due to the high risk of degeneration into a malignant tumor, all growths of the intestine are recommended to be removed.

Types of neoplasms in the intestine

Polyps in the intestine, photos of which are in the article, are:

  • Hamartomatous - their appearance is associated with the pathology of the development of the glandular epithelium.
  • Adenomatous - such neoplasms have a high degree of malignant degeneration, therefore they are often called a precancer.
  • Hyperplastic - they are small in size and most often located on the walls of the rectum.
  • Villous - form the so-called "carpet" on the walls of the intestine. The probability of their transformation into cancer is about 40 percent.
  • Youthful local outgrowths - observed in children from three to six years. They dissolve on their own and only in isolated cases degenerate into cancer.
Intestinal polyps

Polyps can be either single or multiple. The latter are located along the entire intestine or are combined into groups.

Signs of benign neoplasms in the intestine

At the very beginning of the disease, symptoms of polyps in the intestines in women and men are not observed. As they grow, the individual is worried:

  • blood in the stool;
  • pain in the lower abdomen;
  • constipation and diarrhea;
  • frequent urge to defecate and discomfort when emptying.

If the above symptoms appear, consult a doctor.

Depending on the location of the polyps, the symptoms vary somewhat:

  • In the duodenum - are infrequent and for a long time do not make themselves felt. As the polyp grows, belching, a feeling of fullness of the stomach, nausea, pain in the navel are observed. Intestinal obstruction appears. Neoplasms block the intestinal lumen, as a result, food remains in the stomach, causing severe pain and vomiting.
  • Polyps in the large intestine - colic occurs, mucus and blood in the stool.
  • In a straight line, they do not manifest themselves for a long time. The appearance of blood secretions is possible.
  • In the thin - are rare. Complications - intestinal inversion, intestinal obstruction, violation of the integrity of the walls. The pain is localized in the upper abdomen, there is heartburn, nausea, vomiting, a feeling of fullness of the stomach and cramping pain.
  • In the sigmoid - regular constipation is replaced by diarrhea. In the feces, mucus and blood. Concerned belching and bloating.

Diagnostics

At the reception, the doctor conducts a digital examination of the rectal area. Already at this stage, affected areas in the walls of the intestine can be detected. This method is considered mandatory and allows you to study a section of the intestine with a length of ten centimeters. For an accurate diagnosis, laboratory and hardware research is indicated. In the first case, a general and biochemical blood test (based on the results - low hemoglobin and the level of red blood cells) and feces for occult blood are performed, with the aim of early detection of intestinal polyps. In the second they perform:

  • Irrigoscopy - a contrast medium is injected into the colon cavity and examined using x-rays. It is used for difficulties in the diagnosis of polyps and is considered an additional method.
Bowel irrigoscopy
  • Sigmoidoscopy - an endoscopic method of research is carried out using a video camera and rectoscope. They study the condition of the rectum. This manipulation allows you to select material for a biopsy of intestinal polyps.
  • Colonoscopy is the most effective diagnostic method. With its help, they not only examine the intestinal mucosa, but also take material for a biopsy and also remove the neoplasms.
  • MRI and CT are prescribed if necessary. Thanks to these types of studies, the attachment site of the process is visible.

Differential diagnosis is not carried out, since if a polyp is detected, it must be removed.

Treatment of neoplasms in the intestines with medicines

How to treat polyps in the intestines using pharmacotherapy? Unfortunately, no medicine can cure polyps. Conservative therapy is recommended only to relieve symptoms. For these purposes, fit:

  1. Antispasmodics - relieve pain, which is a frequent companion of neoplasms. Its reason lies in the overstretching of the intestinal loops by fecal masses. The drug of choice is Drotaverin.
  2. Prokinetics, for example, "Dufalac" - reduces a rather painful bloating, which is the result of constant constipation.

It is almost impossible to solve the problem by conservative methods; their removal is required by surgery. In some cases, with small formations, doctors adhere to expectant tactics. During the year, the neoplasm is observed. If no adverse changes have occurred, then the operation is not shown. However, the individual is under follow-up and requires regular examinations.

How to treat polyps in the intestine when surgery cannot be used? This question is often asked by patients who have contraindications for surgical manipulation. In this case, physiotherapeutic procedures and drug therapy are recommended. To improve intestinal and gastric motility, doctors prescribe Motilium, Ranitidine.

Polyps in the intestine: reviews

There are quite a lot of comments on the Internet about operations related to the removal of neoplasms in the intestine. Individuals who underwent polypectomy note the following benefits:

  • the procedure is painless, performed under local anesthesia;
  • prevents cancer;
  • the operation is free and non-abdominal;
  • well tolerated even in old age;
  • no long recovery period;
  • non-traumatic;
  • minimum contraindications.

Of the shortcomings - the need to follow a diet, discomfort during the procedure.

Colonoscopy

With the help of colonoscopy, it is thoroughly possible to examine the intestinal walls and identify polyps in the intestine. Reviews of this manipulation contain the following information:

  1. When using anesthesia, respiratory distress is possible.
  2. After the procedure, pains bother.
  3. Sometimes the temperature rises to 37 degrees.
  4. Upset stool.

Individuals who underwent this manipulation note that all unpleasant sensations pass quickly. The main thing is to observe the diet prescribed by the doctor. A properly selected diet will help to recover faster and maintain immunity.

The use of celandine for the treatment of polyps in the intestines

Traditional healers have long known this poisonous plant. It contains alkaloids; succinic, malic and citric acid; essential oils; tannins, vitamins and minerals. Due to the content of toxic alkaloids, drugs prepared on the basis of celandine grass do an excellent job with various benign tumors:

  • Infusion - for enemas. Two teaspoons of grass is poured with a half liter of boiled water. After thirty minutes, cool, filter and use for insertion into the rectum. Do daily for seven days. Further, a break for three days and you can repeat the manipulation.
  • Tincture - taken orally. For its preparation, crushed dry raw materials are used. A container with a volume of five hundred milliliters is half filled with grass and forty percent ethanol or vodka is added so that the container is completely filled. Then, it is tightly corked and cleaned in a dark place where the solution will be infused for twenty-five days.
Celandine grass

After the allotted time, the tincture is ready for use. The reception scheme is as follows. Initially, two drops of the potion are dissolved in fifty milliliters of water. Further, the number of drops is increased daily, i.e., two are added and adjusted to a maximum dose of sixteen. Thirty days are taken at this dosage. Next is a ten-day break. It is allowed to conduct such courses no more than three per year.

There are other recipes based on celandine. Do not forget that this is a poisonous plant, it must be used with caution and only after consultation with the treating doctor.

Other unconventional treatments

Practicing medical workers are very careful about the use of folk remedies in the treatment of polyps in the intestines. It is possible to recover at home only in the early stages of the disease. Therefore, a preliminary examination of an individual by a doctor is necessary. In the absence of contraindications, folk drugs will help to activate the body's defenses to fight the ailment:

  • Guelder-rose - a valuable chemical composition prevents the conversion of polyps into malignant tumors, and with prolonged use it contributes to their resorption. They use both fresh berries, slowly chew them, and dried ones - they make and drink instead of tea. If desired, it is allowed to add honey.
  • Of spruce needles in the amount of thirty and hop - fifteen grams, a fragrant decoction is prepared at one time. Initially, needles are poured into a glass of boiling water, and after thirty minutes hops are poured, brought to a boil and removed from the stove. They drink three times a day in one third. Cool and strain before taking. Three days later, take a six-day break. Three courses of treatment are recommended.
  • Golden mustache - medicinal plant materials in the amount of thirty grams is poured with a half liter of vodka. For infusion, which is carried out for two weeks, use a dark place. Take daily one dessert spoon. After a month, they take a break for ten days. Further, the course of treatment of intestinal polyps is repeated.

In the reviews of medical workers there are warnings that are especially relevant for those individuals who use folk recipes and the advice of healers. They say that the ability of polyps to degenerate into cancer is very high, and especially in the colon. Therefore, you should not delay the visit to the doctor, hoping that the herbs will be cured of neoplasms.

Indications and contraindications for surgical intervention

A few years ago, operations to remove polyps in the intestine were carried out only when they reached large sizes or there were a lot of them. In the process of studying this problem, it was revealed that polyps of a benign nature very quickly degenerate into malignant neoplasms, so they began to perform surgical manipulations when small lesions were detected. Doctors recommend their removal when individuals show signs such as:

  • deterioration of peristalsis and weakening of the intestines;
  • internal bleeding causing severe pain;
  • difficulty emptying;
  • anemia;
  • ulcerative lesions and wounds on the intestinal mucosa;
  • the appearance in the stool of blood and mucus;
  • the risk of colon obstruction.
Bloating

Preparation for the operation begins in two days. During this period, liquid and light foods should prevail in the diet. The patient cleanses the body of toxins, waste and feces, using sorbents and laxatives recommended by the doctor. In some cases, an enema is allowed. On the eve of the dinner is canceled, and on the day of surgery, even liquid is prohibited.

There are contraindications to surgery. They are mainly associated with the presence in the patient of concomitant pathologies of the cardiovascular system, severe infection, diabetes mellitus, oncology, epilepsy, and inflammation in the colon.

Types of surgical interventions

How to remove polyps in the intestines? There are several ways, they depend on the location and size of the polyp, the degree of intestinal damage, the severity of symptoms. Below are the different methods that are used to remove polyps:

  1. Polypectomy - performed under local anesthesia and only with the benign nature of the tumors. An endoscope is inserted into the rectum, in which a special loop is placed and fixed at the base of the polyp. Further, it is delayed and a high frequency current is supplied, which leads to carbonization of the neoplasm. Further, it is removed and examined for histology. If necessary, at the place of removal, electrocoagulation is performed.
  2. Using a laser - they are used when detecting large benign polyps in the intestine, what these formations are, as stated above, on broad bases or large legs. During such a manipulation, the surgeon does not have the opportunity to take neoplasm tissue for analysis.
  3. Resection - is carried out with a massive lesion of the intestine, an incision of the peritoneal tissue is performed. In the case of a tumor in the lower part of the intestine, manipulation is carried out through the anus. The recovery period is long, complications often arise.
  4. Laparoscopy - is indicated for the detection of a benign neoplasm, which is at least twenty millimeters in diameter. Manipulation is carried out through small incisions in the abdominal cavity. They introduce special medical instruments and an endoscope equipped with a video camera. After such a minimally invasive surgery, complications rarely occur. In addition, the recovery period is significantly shorter than after a radical resection.
  5. Laparotomy - the abdominal cavity is opened and the affected area of ​​the intestine is removed. It is recommended for polyposis, when there is significant damage to the intestine and it cannot be removed by the laparoscopic method.
At the doctor

Now you know how to remove polyps in the intestines. Despite possible complications, individuals feel much better after surgery. Efficiency also depends on timely surgical intervention.

Postoperative period

After removal of the polyp in the intestine, a recovery period begins. During the first two years after surgery, individuals undergo regular examinations (every four months), the purpose of which is to prevent the growth of growths into malignant, as well as to avoid re-appearance. Rehabilitation will be successful, subject to simple rules:

  • Do not overcool or overheat.
  • Refuse to visit the solarium.
  • Reduce your time in the open sun.
  • It is forbidden to independently cancel the examinations prescribed by the doctor.
  • Exclude all harmful addictions - smoking, alcohol, drug use.
  • Do not lift weights or subject yourself to heavy physical exertion, as there is a high risk of internal bleeding.
  • Keep inner calm.
  • Avoid excessive fatigue, relax more.
  • Stick to a diet.
  • It is imperative to perform a set of exercises selected by a medical professional.

With the strict implementation of the above recommendations, the risk of complications will be minimized.

Abdominal pain

Colonoscopy after removal of intestinal polyps is performed annually. If an individual during the rehabilitation period has an increase in temperature, swelling in the anus, nausea, vomiting, heaviness in the abdomen, pain, chills, and also blood in the feces, then you should immediately visit a doctor. This clinical picture is characteristic of enterocolitis, wall perforation, or the degeneration of polyps into a malignant tumor.

Preventative measures

Prevention of polyps in the large intestine is the reduction or elimination of factors that contribute to their appearance. To achieve these goals, a series of measures are taken:

  1. Fighting constipation - this factor often accompanies the appearance of polyps. Stool normalization is considered one of the important preventive measures. To prevent them, you should reduce the use of sweets, flour products, sandwiches. Do not eat dry food and observe the daily regimen. In addition, avoiding constipation will help: an increase in physical activity, the use of foods high in potassium, the rejection of the frequent use of laxatives and enemas.
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  3. Change in diet - increase the amount of fiber consumed in food and reduce the calorie content of dishes. The lack of dietary fiber slows down the intestines, slows down the process of removing processed bile from the body, which contributes to the formation of polyps, as well as their degeneration into malignant neoplasms. In addition, fiber acts as a sorbent and removes toxins and decay products from the body.
  4. Regular visits to the doctor and medical examinations - what polyps in the intestines are and what danger they pose, you now know. Therefore, after forty years of age, doctors recommend annually taking an analysis for occult blood in feces. After fifty years, conduct an instrumental examination of the colon with a regularity of once every three or five years.
  5. Prevention of a deficiency of minerals and vitamins - a lack of vitamins such as A, C, E, D, B 6 , B 2 , as well as selenium, folic acid and calcium provokes the proliferation of the rectal mucosa. Therefore, in the preparation of the diet, it is necessary to provide for the presence of all necessary substances. If necessary, use vitamin and mineral complexes.

Conclusion

Now you know what polyps are in the intestines. The true cause of their formation has not yet been identified. However, scientists have developed several theories that explain their education. Of the provoking factors, a sedentary lifestyle, errors in nutrition, a tendency to constipation, tumors in the intestine, and also a hereditary predisposition are distinguished.


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