Austpath Laboratories
Gastric Mucosal Fold, No Polyp Identified
What happens when you biopsy a polyp but only normal mucosa is found?
Polyps removed during endoscopy are typically adenomas, sessile serrated lesions, or hyperplastic polyps. However, in some cases, we may only see normal mucosa upon initial examination. So, what’s our standard operating procedure in such cases?
When a polypoid lesion is biopsied, it is our responsibility to thoroughly examine the tissue to locate the polyp. Only after carefully cutting through the entire biopsy at multiple levels and still finding no polyp, do we issue a report stating: 'Mucosal fold; no polyp identified.'
Let's explain with an example:
A 47-year-old woman had a polyp removed from her descending colon. Initial sections showed only normal mucosa. However, at level eleven (11) of deeper examination, we discovered a two-gland adenoma. Sometimes we even find a single-gland adenoma.
Polyp from descending colon H$E x 100
Polyp from descending colon H&E x 200
