[Duodenal polyps: epidemiology, clinical picture, diagnostics].

This cross-sectional comparative study included 120 patients (68 men and 52 women, mean age 58.3 +/- 14.5 yr) with duodenal polyps (DP) diagnosed by fibroesophagogastroduodenoscopy. Morphological study was conducted in 118 patients. Gastric metaplasia (GM) areas in polyp mucosa (PM) were identified by alcian blue/PAS reaction at pH 1.0 and 2.5. A total of 82859 patients were examined. Endoscopy revealed DP in 0.15% of them. The pH value below 6.5 was documented in duodenal bulb polyps in 85% of the patients having them and in 20% of those with polyps of other localization. Biliary pathology was documented in 80% of the patient with DP in major duodenal papilla and in 2.0% of those with DP of different localization. 66.7% of the patients did not complain of pain in the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract. Erosion of polyp mucosa occurred in 21.2% of the patients (92% of erosions in duodenal bulbs and 56.5% in hyperplastic DP with GM areas). H. pylori was identified in GM areas of bulb DP in 30.4% of the patients. Endoscopic study of 120 patients revealed the following localization of DP: bulbs - 83.4%, postbulbar region - 8.3%, major duodenal papilla - 8.3%. The following morphological types of DP (n = 118) were identified: hyperplastic DP - 49.2%, epithelial tumours - 16.1%, non-epithelial tumours - 1.7%, inflamed mucosal areas - 33.0%.