A 50-year-old truck driver comes to your clinic for a work physical. He has had no upper respiratory, cardiac, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, urinary, or musculoskeletal system complaints. His past medical history is significant for mild arthritis and prior knee surgery in college. He is married and just changed jobs, working for a different trucking company. He smokes one pack of cigarettes a day, drinks less than six beers a week, and denies using any illegal drugs. His mother has high blood pressure and arthritis and his father died of lung cancer in his 60s. On examination, his blood pressure is 130/80 and his pulse is 80. His cardiac, lung, and abdominal examinations are normal. He has no inguinal hernia, but on his digital rectal examination you palpate a soft, smooth, nontender pedunculated mass on the posterior wall of the rectum. What anal, rectal, or prostate disorder best fits his presentation?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Polyps are generally symptom-free and can be found on routine rectal examinations. Proctoscopy with biopsy is necessary to see if the polyp has any potential to become cancerous. Anyone with a rectal polyp needs a colonoscopy.

A 50-Year-Old Truck Driver Comes to Your Clinic for a Work