Successful detection and removal of predictable juvenile polyp: a case report

Juvenile polyp makes up 70% to 80% of pediatric colon polyp, and the average age of diagnosis is 2 to 5 years. The treatment of juvenile polyp in children is polypectomy through colonoscopy. The fact that the lumen of intestine is much smaller than that of adults and the need to perform polypectomy is a heavy burden on the endoscopists. Recently, fecal calprotectin (FC) has been found to be related to juvenile polyp. A previously healthy 34-month-old female patient presented to the pediatric gastroenterology department with intermittent bloody stools that were progressively worsening. FC level was abnormally elevated at 2,719 mu g/g (normal, < 50 mu g/ g). The polyp was successfully removed with a endoscopic polypectomy. This is the first case in Korea to show that FC can be used to screen juvenile polyp in children. Caution must be taken that FC levels can increase with inflammation, regardless of the number or size of the polyps.