Esophageal polyps: When is surgery needed?

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Duong Xuan Loc - Gastroenterologist - General Surgery Department - Vinmec Danang International General Hospital.

The esophagus is the first part of the digestive tract from the pharynx to the gastric cardia, passes through the thorax in front of the spine, starting at the superior sphincter C6 and ending with the lower sphincter T11. Esophageal polyps are lesions caused by proliferation of mucosa and submucosa of the esophagus. Compared with gastric and intestinal polyps, esophageal polyps are less common.
There are two types: polyps in the esophageal wall and polyps in the esophagus. Polyps in the esophageal wall are mostly stromal lesions, derived from smooth muscle and fibrous tissue. Intraesophageal polyps are lesions in the submucosa covered with normal squamous cells.

Possible types of esophageal polyps:
Glycogen storage polyp: Histopathological image shows thickened epithelium with hypertrophy of glycogen-containing squamous cells, associated with inflammation. Ectopic sebaceous glands: mature sebaceous glands located deep in the mucosa, endoscopic images show yellow or gray patches of round or oval shape, 1-5mm in size, sometimes several centimeters. Squamous cell polyps: Very rare, can be located anywhere on the esophagus but usually found in the lower esophagus, smooth round, pink, pedunculated, does not progress to malignancy. Polyps caused by HPV virus: Uncommon, related to papillomas in the larynx, trachea, and bronchi. Dysplastic Polyps: A growth that ranges from a few millimeters to 1cm or larger. In addition, there are other types of esophageal polyps such as polyps caused by reflux esophagitis, fibroid polyps, smooth muscle tumors, neuroendocrine tumors, granulomatous cell tumors, malignant melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. polypoid glandular cells,... Esophageal polyps are usually asymptomatic, patients are often discovered by chance due to a health check or when large polyps cause difficulty swallowing, a feeling of tightness in the chest when eating.

When esophageal polyps are detected, even though they are diagnosed as non-cancerous through biopsy, esophageal polyps can have many different causes, patients should be treated early and should be closely monitored by real endoscopy. with annual biopsies.
Depending on the location, size and nature of the polyp, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment. For example, with glycogen storage polyps, ectopic sebaceous glands usually do not need to be treated, while other types of polyps can be treated by one of the methods such as endoscopic endoscopic gastrointestinal polypectomy, open surgery. or endoscopic polypectomy....
The treatment of esophageal polyps is not too difficult, you should treat it right from the time the polyp size is small, the recovery will be faster and there will be less complications. Vinmec International General Hospital is currently one of the best medical facilities in the country with a system of modern equipment, a team of experienced and highly qualified doctors. Professional, clean and comfortable treatment environment.