Management of small bowel polyps: A literature review

Despite the small bowel comprising 90% of the mucosal surface area of the gastrointestinal tract, it is a rare site for neoplasia and only accounts for a little over 3% of the tumors that arise in the digestive tract. Benign small bowel lesions include lipomas, lymphangiomas, leiomyomas, neurofibromas, nodular lymphoid hyperplasia and adenomas, many of which are precursors to malignant lesions. Several polyposis syndromes are associated with small bowel polyps as well, including familial adenomatous polyposis syndrome, lynch syndrome, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, Cowden syndrome and juvenile polyposis syndrome. Our aim was to review non-malignant small bowel polyps and discuss the prevalence, typical location, clinical presentation, diagnosis, endoscopic and histologic description and lastly management of each of these lesions.