Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2005. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Aug 28, 2005; 11(32): 5072-5074
Published online Aug 28, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i32.5072
Colonic duplication in adults: Report of two cases presenting with rectal bleeding
C Fotiadis, M Genetzakis, I Papandreou, EP Misiakos, E Agapitos, GC Zografos
C Fotiadis, I Papandreou, EP Misiakos, 3rd Department of Surgery, University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
M Genetzakis, GC Zografos, 1st Department of Propedeutic Surgery, University of Athens, School of Medicine, Hippokration Hospital, Athens, Greece
E Agapitos, Department of Pathology, University of Athens, School of Medicine, Athens, Greece
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: C Fotiadis, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery, University of Athens, 8 Tripoleos Street, Melissia, Athens 15127, Greece. costfot@yahoo.gr
Telephone: +11-30210-8034821 Fax: +11-30210-8133184
Received: October 19, 2004
Revised: January 1, 2005
Accepted: January 5, 2005
Published online: August 28, 2005
Abstract

Gastrointestinal duplication is an uncommon congenital abnormality in two-thirds of cases manifesting before the age of 2 years. Ileal duplication is common while colonic duplication, either cystic or tubular, is a rather unusual clinical entity that remains asymptomatic and undiagnosed in most cases. Mostly occurring in pediatric patients, colonic duplication is encountered in adults only in a few cases. This study reports two cases of colonic duplication in adults. Both cases presented with rectal bleeding on admission. The study was focused on clinical, imaging, histological, and therapeutical aspects of the presenting cases. Gastrografin enema established the diagnosis in both cases. The cystic structure and the adjacent part of the colon were excised en-block. The study implies that colonic duplication, though uncommon, should be included in the differential diagnosis of rectal bleeding.

Keywords: Colonic duplication, Gastrointestinal bleeding