Patient: Dotty, 4 year old female spayed Jack Russell terrier.
Presenting complaint: Intermittent hematochezia with red blood on bowel movements for the past 3-4 months.
Diagnostic studies before endoscopy: The blood count and chemistry profiles were normal. Colonoscopy had identified a rectal polyp approximately 12 centimeters inside.
Laparoscopic procedure: A laparoscopic-assisted colonic resection was performed using an elliptical incision to completely excise the tumor. A biopsy was obtained from the lymph node draining the descending colon.
Benefits of using endoscopy: The laparoscopic resection limited contamination and was minimally invasive while permitting complete resection and lymph node sampling.
Case Follow-up: Histopathology was a benign polyp as an in situ carcinoma without spread to the margins of the excision or to the regional lymph node. Repeat colonoscopy was normal six months following surgical resection.
