What does fine lobulation of the surface of a polyp mean?
Barium enters the interstices between fronds of a polyp, and the greater the number of lobules, the greater the amount of villous change in a polyp. A polyp with more than several lobules is in the spectrum of tubulovillous to villous adenoma and has a slightly greater risk of malignancy. A villous tumor 6 to 10 mm in size has a 10% chance of malignancy. Therefore, if a 6 to 10 mm in size finely lobulated polyp is seen at barium enema, it should be removed.
