Abdominal fibrodysplasia and polyposis coli

Abstract

Summary A new case of abdominal fibrous masses following colectomy for familial polyposis coli is reported. This syndrome is not yet widely recognized, and lack of familiarity is likely, as in this case, to lead to misdiagnosis of recurrent carcinoma. Ureteric obstruction due to backward pressure of such a mass is recorded for the first time. It is suggested that these masses are a form of fibrodysplasia, the result of an abnormal response to trauma, rather than neoplasms of connective tissue. It is shown that certain features of this syndrome overlap those of retroperitoneal fibrosis and associated dysplasias, and it is suggested that they may represent the outcomes of similar pathologic processes. If further studies uphold this concept, the undoubted hereditary factor in the etiology of polyposis coli will support the suggestion that retroperitoneal fibrosis may also have a genetic element in its etiology.