[Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. Cases at the Mannheim clinic over 25 years].

Observations in our clinic and others reviewed in the literature result in a new picture of the Peutz-Jeghers syndrome. It turns out to be a hereditary polypose syndrome which is hard to define. The tendency to malignant degeneration of polyps and development of associated neoplasms is almost impossible to forecast. In addition operations frequently involve complications and often need to be repeated more than once. Radical removal of all polyps must be the aim of treatment; the patients must then be closely followed up by clinical examination, endoscopy and radiology to avoid complications of regrowth and to make sure degeneration and associated neoplasms are detected at an early stage.