Colonoscopy Phoenix is a safe and quick way to look inside your large bowel. It often finds growths that aren’t cancer, but may need further tests.
You must drink a special prep solution the night before and the morning of your test. Your bowels must be empty for the procedure to be successful.
A clean colon is essential for the procedure to be performed correctly. The patient will usually be required to complete a bowel “prep”, which is a prescribed cleansing solution that is taken over the course of one or two days before the test. The cleanser may be liquids, pills that are dissolved in liquid, or an enema. Depending on the specific requirements of the procedure, the doctor will work with the patient to decide which prep method is best for them. This is based on many factors, including medical history, cost, and personal preferences.
Typically, the night before the exam, you will need to begin drinking a clear liquid diet. It is important to drink plenty of water, and try to avoid any foods that are red or purple in color as these can appear to be blood in the stool during the procedure. It is also a good idea to stop taking any iron supplements, as these can change the color of your stool, making it harder for the doctor to see any polyps or adenomas.
The day of the colonoscopy, you will need to take a series of laxatives. This can be a pill that you dissolve in liquid, a powder you mix into a beverage, or an enema. Regardless of which laxative is used, it is important to follow the directions on the packaging carefully. The laxatives will likely cause diarrhea, so it is important to stay close to a bathroom for several hours before the procedure.
You will also need to empty your bladder as soon as you wake up, so it is a good idea to plan on waking up very early the day of the procedure. After you have finished the bowel prep, you should arrive at the clinic an hour before your appointment time. Ensure that you have all of your insurance cards, photo ID, and any other relevant documentation with you.
You will be able to choose whether you want light or moderate sedation for the procedure, and your doctor will discuss this with you in detail. The choice is yours, but be sure to let the doctor know about any health problems or medicines you are currently taking. It is important to make sure that all of your doctors are aware of any medications you are taking before a colonoscopy, as some can interact with the sedation.
Procedure
Your physician will give you instructions on how to prepare for a colonoscopy. The prep is a series of liquids, pills or enema that empty your colon so the doctor can see everything clearly during the procedure. Be sure to follow all the instructions, and ask your physician for help if you don’t understand them. Your doctor may also advise you to stop certain medicines before the test, especially if they are blood-thinning medications such as aspirin and ibuprofen. You may also need to stop taking some vitamins and supplements.
On the day of the procedure, you should not eat or drink anything but clear liquids. You will be given a special medicine into a vein (IV) that makes you sleepy or not feel pain during the test. You will be asked to sign a consent form that says you understand the risks and agree to have the test. You will be taken to a private room and put into a hospital gown. You should bring a friend or relative with you to the hospital as you will need someone to drive you home afterward. Most hospitals won’t let you leave until you have someone to take care of you because of the sedation.
During the test, you will lie on a table while a doctor inserts a lubricated tube through your anus and into your rectum and colon. The scope is equipped with a light and a camera that sends a video image to a monitor, so the doctor can examine the lining of your colon and rectum. The doctor can also remove any polyps or other abnormal growths found.
If a cancer is found, doctors can use the information from the procedure to work out what stage the cancer is in and what treatment is best. A biopsy may be needed to confirm the diagnosis.
A colonoscopy can be done at a hospital, medical office or an outpatient surgery center. It typically takes about 20 minutes. The doctor will move you around on the table several times to get a good view of your lower colon and rectum. When the doctor is finished, he or she will slowly remove the scope.
Results
The procedure itself is fairly quick and simple, and you are likely to feel very little discomfort during the colonoscopy. Depending on the results of the test, you may be advised to follow up with your doctor, or may need additional tests or treatment.
For a standard colonoscopy, the gastroenterologist will pass a flexible tube called a colonoscope through your large intestine and examine its lining for any abnormalities such as polyps or cancers. The entire procedure takes between 15 to 60 minutes. You should allow about two to three hours in total for your appointment, including preparation and recovery.
Before your procedure, you will meet with the gastroenterologist and anesthesia team to discuss the procedure, and ask any questions. Depending on your individual situation, you may receive either an anti-emetic medication or sedation. If you are receiving sedation, please make sure to arrange for someone to collect you from the clinic after your test as you will not be allowed to drive.
Several quality indicators have been proposed by the Multi-Society Task Force of the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable to measure and improve colonoscopy performance. We studied reports of 53 gastroenterology practices that use a computerized report generator with fields for these indicators. We compared reported performance to specific targets for bowel prep quality, cecal intubation rate and detection of polyps >9 mm on screening exams.
Our goal is to provide you with an accurate diagnosis and the best treatment based on the findings of your Colonoscopy. Your physician will explain the results of the procedure and recommend any follow-up office appointments based on your exam. You will also be given a written report of the procedure. If any biops were taken during the test, you will be contacted in about 1 to 2 weeks with the results.
You should be able to return to normal activities after 24 hours. You will be provided with discharge instructions, including phone numbers to call if you develop any symptoms or have concerns. Avoid driving, operating machinery, drinking alcohol or making important decisions for at least 24 hours after the test. You can take pain medications as needed to control any pain or discomfort, but do not exceed the recommended doses. If you experience significant discomfort or heavy bleeding after the procedure, contact your physician immediately.
Conclusions
Colonoscopy is a procedure that allows the gastroenterologist to visualize the colon lining through a flexible tube called a colonoscope. The instrument has a small digital camera and light at the end which displays a magnified view of the colon lining on a monitor. It can detect polyps, which are abnormalities that may develop into cancer. It can also remove them. In addition, it can be used to diagnose and treat other diseases in the large intestine. The procedure is also used to identify and evaluate colorectal cancer in its early stages, when it is most treatable.
The gastrointestinal tract is a long tube that ends in the anus and the rectum. The colon (large bowel) is the last portion of the digestive tract and it is the main part that stores unabsorbed food before it is eliminated in the faeces. It is a very important organ in terms of the overall health of a person. The colon contains the highest concentration of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. In order to maintain good bowel health, the colon must be free of inflammation, infection, and cancer.
Although there are many diagnostic and therapeutic purposes of the colonoscopy, it is most commonly performed for the screening of colorectal cancer. Screening colonoscopies reduce the mortality from colorectal cancer because they allow the adenomatous lesions to be detected at an early stage.
This is because if a colorectal tumor is caught in its early stage, it can be removed and treated before it becomes more serious. However, in recent months there have been reports in the media of a study published in the Journal of Medicine that concluded that screening colonoscopies do not reduce colorectal cancer mortality. However, multiple experts have pointed out that the NEJM article did not conclude that screening colonoscopies are ineffective, but rather that more research is needed to determine if there is an effect.
