Colonoscopies

About 70 percent of our diagnostic procedures involve colonoscopy, in which a doctor uses a long, flexible, lighted tube called a colonoscope to view your colon (large intestine).

To prepare for a colonoscopy, you must clear out your colon. A day or two before the procedure, you begin a liquid diet and take laxatives in liquid or pill form. The colonoscopy is done under mild anesthesia to relieve any anxiety you may be feeling. The doctor inserts the colonoscope into your rectum and moves it into your large intestine or colon. The colonoscope sends images to a computer.

Because colonoscopy allows the doctor to view the entire length of the large intestine, it can help identify abnormal growths, inflamed tissue, ulcers and bleeding. If your doctor finds an abnormal growth (polyp), it can be removed and tested for cancer.

Additional Therapy

During endoscopic procedures, different therapeutic procedures also can be performed to help treat the problem. These treatments include:

• Anorectal manometry—helps determine the strength of the muscles in the rectum and anus using a small tube in the rectum
• Biopsy—removes and examines tissue to detect cancer cells
• Ablation—burns tumors or abnormal tissue
• Stenting—increases GI tract flow and contraction of the gastrointestinal muscles
• Rectal and anal ultrasounds—This imaging technique uses high-frequency sound waves and a computer to view the rectum
• Sphincterotomy—prevents tears or fissures in the anus
• Wireless capsule endoscopy—provides a more precise image inside the bowel to locate bleeding, cancer or other abnormalities

Other diagnostic tests may include laboratory tests to check for blood in the stool or the presence of abnormal bacteria in the digestive tract. In some imaging tests, doctors will give you a metallic, chalky liquid called barium to coat the inside of your organs so they can see them on an X-ray. Imaging tests using X-rays help specialists watch the inside of the stomach and other organs as digestion occurs.

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