Diffuse Filiform Polyposis With Unique Histology Mimicking Familial Adenomatous Polyposis in a Patient Without Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

Abstract Filiform polyposis is an uncommon entity that is most often encountered in the colon of patients with a history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Filiform polyposis is characterized by a large number of “wormlike” polyps lined by histologically normal colonic mucosa. These polyps can mimic adenomatous polyps. Only rare cases without a history or evidence of IBD have been reported. Neuromuscular and vascular hamartoma of the small bowel is a rare, focal disorder characterized by disorganized smooth muscle fascicles throughout the submucosa accompanied by fibrosis, nerve fibers, ganglion cells, and vessels. To our knowledge, there is only one report of this lesion in the large bowel (cecum), where it presented as a mass. Here we report the case of a 50-year-old man with no known history or symptoms of IBD presenting with filiform polyposis involving the entire colon, clinically mimicking familial adenomatous polyposis, and showing histologic features similar to neuromuscular and vascular hamartoma of the small bowel.