Description

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominantly inherited disorder, which results from a germ line mutation in the APC (adenomatous polyposis coli) gene. FAP is characterized by the formation of very high number of colorectal adenomatous polyps which could cause the development of colorectal cancer in the 5th decade of life. After colon surgery patients are still at risk of developing upper GI cancer e.g. in the duodenum. Because of the continuing risk for the development of duodenal cancer, regular endoscopic surveillance is recommended for these patients.

In this study a new APC modality (Precise mode E1) applied for the remission of FAP polyps during routine endoscopic surveillance is suggested. Argonplasma coagulation (APC) is widely used for the ablation and coagulation of superficial lesions in the GI tract. The application of high thermal tissue destroying APC in the duodenum is challenging due to the anatomy of the duodenal wall which is thin and therefore susceptible to thermal damage.

The application of low-thermal argonplasma in the GI tract could be just as useful as it was suggested for the treatment of neoplastic tissue in gynecology. Low-thermal APC using Erbe Standard 3.2 mm FiAPC probe and Precise mode was successfully applied for the remission of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. The formation of reactive oxygen and nitric oxide species has been discussed as trigger for the effect on neoplasia tissue of low-thermal argonplasma.

Regarding current knowledge this is the first application of this APC modality in the GI tract.