Safety of endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) of large non-pedunculated colorectal adenomas in the elderly

Background Endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) has been proven to be safe and effective for the treatment of colorectal adenomas. However, data are limited on the safety of this technique for large polyps and in elderly patients. Aims of our study were to examine the bleeding and perforation rates in patients with large non-pedunculated adenomas (≥20mm) and to evaluate the influence of size (≥40mm) and age (≥75 years) on the complication rates. Methods In this multicenter retrospective study, patients who underwent EMR of non-pedunculated adenomas ≥20mm between January 2012 and March 2016 were included. The demographics of the patients, the use of antithrombotic drugs, size of the polyps, type of resection, pathology report, occurrence of post-polypectomy bleeding, and perforation- and recurrence rate were collected. Results In 343 patients, 412 adenomas were removed. Eighty patients (23.3%) were ≥75 years of age, 138 polyps (33.5%) were ≥40mm. Bleeding complications were observed in 28 cases (6.8%) and were found significantly more frequent in adenomas ≥40mm, independent of the use of antithrombotic therapy. Five perforations (1.2%) were described, not related to the size of the polyp. There was no significant difference in complication rates between patients