Endoscopic Treatment of Acute Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding Caused by a Sigmoid Inflammatory Fibroid Polyp: Report of a Case

Inflammatory fibroid polyp (IFP) is an uncommon benign localized lesion of the gastrointestinal tract and occurs more frequently in the stomach. The small intestine is the next frequent site and they are rarely described in the colon. Histologically, it arises in the submucosa and characterized by distinctively arranged fibrous tissue and blood vessels, with an inflammatory infiltrate often dominated by eosinophils. The clinical presentation of IFP depends on location and gross appearance of the lesion. It included incidental finding, vague abdominal discomfort, obstruction symptoms, bowel habit change, anemia or bloody stool. Although bloody stool is a common presentation of IFP, life-threatening lower gastrointestinal bleeding due to IFP is rare and only few cases were resected endoscopically. We herein report a patient with an IFP localized in the sigmoid colon presenting clinically as life-threatening lower gastrointestinal bleeding and was successfully treated by endoscopic polypectomy.