X-ray examination and intraoperative fiberscopy of the small intestine were performed
in 20 patients with familial adenomatosis coli. Roentgenographic study detected polypoid
lesions in the upper jejunum in 2 patients (10 %), and in the terminal ileum in 9
(45 %). In contrast, endoscopic study revealed polyps in the jejunum in 10 patients
(50 %), and in the ileum in 14 (70 %). Polyps in most cases were multiple and small
in size (less than 3 mm in diameter). Histology revealed the lesions of the jejunum
to be adenomas, and those of the ileum to be lymphoid hyperplasia with or without
adenoma. The present study suggests that intraoperative endoscopy is much more valuable
than roentgenography in detecting these minute polyps of the small intestine in this
disease.
Intraoperative fiberscopy - Roentgenography - Small-intestinal polyps - Familial adenomatosis
coli
