Colonoscopy

Conditions treated

• Familial polyposis
• Healthy individuals with familial history
• Hereditary colon cancer
• HNPCC
• Screening for otherwise healthy individuals

Testing options

• Balloon-assisted enteroscopy (such as double balloon enteroscopy)
• Colonoscopy
• EUS
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy

Treatment options

• APC of vascular lesions
• Chromoendoscopy for surveillance of IBD
• Closure of leaks or early perforations
• Evaluation of rectal and perirectal disease
• Hemorrhoid treatment
• Hemostasis of bleeding lesions
• Polyp resection (cold and hot biopsies, cold and hot snares)
• Radiofrequency ablation of radiation proctitis
• Rectal cancer staging
• Retrograde access to the small bowel
• Sclerotherapy of rectal varices
• Stent placement
• Stricture dilation
• Technically challenging colonoscopies

Colonoscopy types

There are three types of colonoscopies.

Diagnostic/therapeutic colonoscopy

This is done to find the cause of a medical problem, such as gastrointestinal symptoms, colon polyps, or gastrointestinal disease.

Surveillance/high-risk colonoscopy screening

This is done when you have a personal history of Crohn’s’ Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, or a personal or direct relative with colon polyps, and/or colon cancer. This is not done because you have gastrointestinal symptoms. You will need to have colonoscopy more often than other people (often every 2 to 5 years).

Preventive/average risk colonoscopy screening

This is done when you do not have gastrointestinal symptoms, are 50 years old or older, and do not have a personal history of gastrointestinal disease, colon polyps, and/or cancer. People in this group have not had a colonoscopy within the last 10 years.