Colonoscopy Procedure

The colon is the part of the large intestine, just before the rectum, its main objective is to extract moisture from food residues, digested before being excreted. A and colonoscopy is what the doctor prescribed when he wants to take a look inside your colon. The colon is approximately 3 to 5 feet long and a traditional colonoscopy, the doctor would use an instrument called a colonoscope. It is essentially a long thin device and flexible fiber optic flexible system that allows the doctor to see inside the colon to look for cancer or precancerous polyps. A colonoscopy is used to detect colorectal cancers and to study other diseases of the colon.

Colonoscopy requires sedation or analgesia to make it relatively comfortable. But the fact remains that conventional colonoscopy is to use various degrees of force to push the colonoscope in the intestine. Although pain is less common, patients often report a sensation of pressure, bloating or cramps throughout the procedure.

Although this is the way most colonoscopies are done, it is possible that this method will soon take a back seat to another procedure called virtual colonoscopy. Here, an analysis of CTA is used to make spectacular images of 3-D colon. It is a process of x-ray and almost as good as a conventional colonoscopy to detect polyps.

The New England Journal of Medicine published a study showing that virtual colonoscopy is more than 90% in detecting polyps that can be specified major cause for concern. However, The Journal of the American Medical Association published a different result indicating that the accuracy of virtual colonoscopy is only about 55%. Although there is a difference in technology used for both studies, such a conflict in research findings suggest that virtual colonoscopy requires more research before they can be fully integrated into modern medicine to replace colonoscopy traditional.

For patients who wish to spare themselves the discomfort of conventional colonoscopy, however, virtual colonoscopy is still an available option. The best results are obtained when the patient drinks a barium contrast first. A medical center that has the latest equipment and 3-D imaging will make the procedure barium is your best bet. Insurance does not cover the cost of virtual colonoscopy, so now it is best suited for people who can afford the cost and want to avoid conventional colonoscopy.