Risk Factors, Clinical Course, and Management of Delayed Perforation After Colorectal Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection: A Large-Scale Multicenter Study.

Summary: Imagine having a procedure to remove a growth in your colon, and everything seems fine. But a day or two later, a small hole forms in the colon wall. This is called a "delayed perforation." Doctors recently looked at over 4,600 patients who had a special colon procedure called ESD to see how often this happens.

They found that these delayed holes are very rare, happening in less than half of 1% of cases. However, if a hole does form, it is serious. While some patients can be treated with medicine or a quick scope procedure to clip the hole shut, more than half end up needing surgery. The risk of getting a hole is higher if the initial procedure took a long time or if the colon tissue had heavy scarring. The good news? Doctors can lower the risk by making sure the area is completely closed up right after the first procedure.