A colonoscopy is usually performed at a hospital, medical office, or outpatient facility. You lie on an exam table, and the doctor inserts a long tube with a light and camera (colonoscope) into your rectum.
To prepare for the test, you will take a laxative. The prep instructions will vary, but they usually begin one or two days before the procedure. Click the https://www.drwesleyhigh.com/ to learn more.
Before your colonoscopy, you will need to follow a special diet and drink liquids only. The bowel preparation during this process helps empty your colon and provides your doctor with a clear view of the entire lining. The preparation may include a laxative, an enema, a rectal laxative suppository, or a solution to drink. Your doctor will give you specific instructions about the bowel preparation.
During the procedure, you will lie down with your knees pulled up towards your chest. A lubricated tube with a camera on the end is inserted through your anus and into your rectum and colon. You will be given sedation during the procedure to reduce discomfort. Occasionally, the doctor will remove some tissue (biopsy) from polyps or areas of inflammation during the colonoscopy to test for cancer or other diseases. This is done on an outpatient basis at a hospital, medical office or private clinic.
The colonoscopy can take between 20 and 60 minutes, depending on whether your doctor removes any tissue for testing. It is common to have some cramping and pain, which will improve as your bowel clears.
Some researchers have reported that the number of polyps detected by colonoscopy has been lower in patients who are required to undergo a more rigorous bowel preparation before their exam. It is not known why this happens, but it is important to ensure your bowel is completely clean prior to the procedure.
It is also important to tell your doctor about all of the medications, vitamins and supplements you take, even those you take regularly or at low doses. Some drugs can interfere with the safe administration of sedation or anesthesia during the colonoscopy and some can increase your risk of complications, such as bleeding after the procedure.
It is recommended that you clear your schedule for the days of your bowel prep and colonoscopy. Having someone to help you manage your responsibilities on those days can be a big help, especially if the bowel preparation takes several hours to complete. You will feel groggy following the bowel preparation, sedation and colonoscopy and will need to avoid strenuous activities for 24 hours.
Procedure
Your doctor will instruct you in advance about how to prepare for your colonoscopy. This may include instructions about a special diet that limits the type of foods you can eat. It will also usually include a prescription laxative that you take the night before and the day of your procedure. It could be a pill, a powder that you dissolve in liquid, an enema or a rectal laxative suppository. It is important to follow these instructions precisely to avoid complications, such as a perforation of your colon lining or bleeding during the procedure.
During the colonoscopy, you will lie on a table at a hospital, medical office or outpatient center. Your doctor will insert the thin tube into your anus and rectum, which will be inflated with air for better visualization of the large intestine.
The procedure will likely take about 30 minutes if your gastroenterologist finds no abnormalities. However, if polyps (swollen areas) are found or tissue needs to be taken for biopsy, the test might take longer.
If your doctor finds polyps, they can usually be removed during the colonoscopy, which is called a colonic polypectomy. You might notice a little bit of blood with your first bowel movement after the procedure, but this isn’t anything to worry about.
A colonoscopy is a safe and effective way to detect colon cancer or other problems that require treatment. It is a better option than an exploratory surgery or invasive biopsies. A colonoscopy can also be used to treat certain colon conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, such as colitis.
The risks of a colonoscopy are small but include the possibility of perforation of the colon lining, infections and bleeding. Bleeding and perforation are most common in patients with a history of polyps or chronic inflammation. If you are at high risk for these complications, your gastroenterologist might recommend that you have a colonoscopy more often.
Results
A colonoscopy can help you avoid serious health problems, including cancer. It is among the best screening tests available. It is especially important if you have a family history of colon or rectal cancer, if you are over 45, or if you’ve had symptoms such as blood in your stool, pain with bowel movements, constipation or diarrhea.
A gastroenterologist uses a thin tube with a camera on the end to look at your colon and rectum. This test can find polyps, small tissue clumps that may become cancerous and other conditions that can cause blood in your stool or painful bowel movements, constipation or diarrhea. If your doctor sees something that needs further testing, he or she may take a sample of the tissue and send it to a laboratory for analysis. The results of your biopsy can help your doctor decide whether to remove the polyp or adenoma and what treatment you might need.
After the procedure, you’ll rest in a recovery room until the effects of the sedative wear off. Someone who accompanied you to the appointment will be able to take you home when your doctor releases you. You should not drive yourself after the procedure because you might feel dizzy and weak for a short time.
For most people, a colonoscopy is easy and safe. It isn’t as uncomfortable as many think, and you’ll be sedated so you won’t remember much about it. If you’re worried about getting a colonoscopy, talk with your doctor about the reasons it might be necessary and other options for screening.
You’ll need to prepare your body for the test by following a clear liquid diet the day before and the morning of the colonoscopy. Then you’ll need to fast the day of the colonoscopy, meaning no solid food for lunch or dinner and nothing by mouth after midnight. If you take medication, especially drugs for diabetes or to control blood clots, your doctor might need you to stop taking them a few days before the procedure. He or she might also give you a prescription for a laxative to take just before the colonoscopy to empty your colon completely.
Follow-up
Follow-up colonoscopies are done to look for additional precancerous polyps and, if needed, remove them. This is an important step in reducing colorectal cancer risk.
In general, people who have a history of polyps should be screened at least every three years with either a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy. The results of these tests will help determine if a person needs to be seen more frequently for screening, and if a person may need to be placed on surveillance, or have surgery or other treatment after removal of the precancerous polyps.
Polyp surveillance literature varies in terms of the predictors used, the definition of “normal,” and the recommended follow-up interval. A normal colonoscopy is defined as a colonoscopy where no sessile serrated adenoma/polyp (SSP) or hyperplastic polyp (HP) > 10mm, traditional serrated adenoma (TSA), or colorectal cancer (CRC) was found.
A patient who has 1-2 tubular adenomas with low grade dysplasia completely removed at a high quality examination, is usually considered to have a “low risk” and will be given a recommendation for a longer 7 or 10 year surveillance interval. However, it is expected that ongoing work will clarify whether characteristics (such as size 6mm), in addition to examination quality, will better distinguish between patients who benefit from shorter and longer surveillance intervals.
For some people who are at a higher risk for colorectal cancer, even after having multiple polyps removed, there is still a chance of developing CRC from new tumors or recurrent precancerous adenomas. These are called local recurrences and are thought to occur at the site of the original tumor in the inner lining of the bowel.
In addition to regular follow-up colonoscopies, it is often recommended that these individuals undergo periodic rectal ultrasound exams. These are a non-invasive test that is performed after the patient has had a cleansing enema in a doctor’s office or procedure center. The exam uses an ultrasound probe to evaluate the deep colon wall for the presence of a new cancer or for the recurrence of a previous one.
Occasionally, it is recommended that these patients also undergo a fecal occult blood test. This is a routine test that checks for microscopic traces of bleeding from a previous adenoma or a colon cancer.