2020 Volume 69 Issue 1 Pages 25-29
The removal of colon polyps can reduce the risk of colon cancer. Recently, cold snare polypectomy (CSP), which does not use electricity, has become a widely accepted treatment for colon polyps. However, the horizontal margin of specimens resected by CSP is often unclear. CSP specimens are small and difficult to paste with a pin. Therefore, they are formalin-fixed without pasting. We devised a method to extend and fix the specimens on filter paper. In this study, we investigated the effect of horizontal margin on evaluation by pasting CSP lesion specimens on filter paper. We compared 1,040 colorectal adenoma specimens obtained by CSP (470 lesion specimens in the pasting group, 570 lesion specimens in the conventional group) from January to June 2018. In the pasting group, the specimens were extended with a toothpick and affixed to filter paper and then fixed in formalin. In the conventional group, they were formalin-fixed without pasting. Results showed that the median ages in the pasting and conventional groups were 70 and 72 years, respectively, and the median lesion size was 4 mm in both groups. The area of the unclear horizontal margin was significantly smaller in 167 specimens (35.5%) in the pasting group than in 326 specimens (57.2%) in the conventional group (p < 0.01). In conclusion, pasting CSP lesion specimens on paper significantly reduced the number of the specimens with an unclear horizontal margin.
