News tagged with colonoscopy

National screening benchmarks for finding polyps during a colonoscopy might be too low

Current national guidelines provide benchmarks regarding the number of polyps physicians should detect, on average, during a colonoscopy. Recent studies at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida suggest these benchmarks may be too ...

Cancer created Feb 19, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Brief class on easy-to-miss precancerous polyps ups detection, study shows

Most people know a colonoscopy requires some preparation by the patient. Now, a Mayo Clinic physician suggests an additional step to lower the risk of colorectal cancer: Ask for your doctor's success rate detecting easy-to-miss ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Jan 08, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Vaccine triggers immunity to prevent colon cancer

(Medical Xpress)—A first-of-its-kind vaccine developed by University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) researchers successfully prompted the immune system to respond to early indications of colon cancer in people at ...

Cancer created Jan 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Rare genetic faults identified in families with bowel cancer

(Medical Xpress)—Rare DNA faults in two genes have been strongly linked to bowel cancer by Oxford University researchers, who sequenced the genomes of people from families with a strong history of developing ...

Cancer created Dec 24, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

New prep for colon screen uses four pills, not liquid laxative

(HealthDay)—Prepping for a "virtual colonoscopy" at the Mayo Clinic now only involves swallowing four cleansing tablets, rather than the large amounts of liquid laxative typically required, researchers ...

Cancer created Aug 31, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Middle-aged diabetics may need earlier colon checks

(HealthDay) -- Researchers who say they've linked type 2 diabetes with earlier development of precancerous colon lesions recommend people with the blood sugar disorder start colorectal screenings at a younger ...

Diabetes created May 22, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Study: Simple scope exam cuts colon cancer deaths

A simple, cheaper exam of just the lower part of the bowel can cut the risk of developing colon cancer or dying of the disease, a large federal study finds.

Cancer created May 21, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Noninvasive stool test for colorectal cancer unaffected by variables

A study presented today by Mayo Clinic researchers at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2012 in Chicago identified two genes that are optimal targets to be analyzed in a new noninvasive test ...

Cancer created Apr 03, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

CT colonography shown to be comparable to standard colonoscopy

Computerized tomographic (CT) colonography (CTC), also known as virtual colonoscopy, is comparable to standard colonoscopy in its ability to accurately detect cancer and precancerous polyps in people ages 65 and older, according ...

Cancer created Feb 23, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Study: Screening new colon cancer patients for Lynch syndrome cost-effective

Screening every new colon cancer patient for a particular familial disorder extends lives at a reasonable cost, say Stanford University School of Medicine researchers. The team hopes the results will encourage more medical ...

Cancer created Jul 18, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Blood test for colon cancer screening beneficial for some seniors, but not for many others

A new study of U.S. veterans ages 70 and older finds that the healthiest get the most benefit from current colon cancer screening methods. However, for many less healthy veterans the burdens of screening may outweigh the ...

Cancer created May 09, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Open-access colonoscopy is safe: study

Nurse-driven, open-access colonoscopy programs are as effective and safe as colonoscopy following a consultation with a gastroenterologist, according to researchers at Henry Ford Hospital.

Cancer created May 09, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

A less painful colonoscopy: Researchers could have answer to problem known as 'looping'

Colonoscopy is regarded as the most thorough way to screen for colon cancer but the potentially life-saving procedure can also be painful. Scientists and engineers are continually researching new methods of screening to reduce ...

Other created Apr 27, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Study finds gaps in 'decision aids' designed to help determine right cancer screening option

When it comes to a cancer diagnosis, timing can be everything – the sooner it's found, the more treatable it is. But when and how often should someone get screened?

Cancer created May 10, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

One in four colonoscopies in Medicare patients found to be potentially inappropriate

Colonoscopy is one of the most effective cancer screening procedures available. Colon cancer grows very slowly and can be treated if caught early through screening. But, perhaps because of this success, older Americans are ...

Cancer created Mar 13, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Colonoscopy

Colonoscopy is the endoscopic examination of the large colon and the distal part of the small bowel with a CCD camera or a fiber optic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus. It may provide a visual diagnosis (e.g. ulceration, polyps) and grants the opportunity for biopsy or removal of suspected lesions.

Virtual colonoscopy, which uses 2D and 3D imagery reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) scans or from nuclear magnetic resonance (MR) scans, is also possible, as a totally non-invasive medical test, although it is not standard and still under investigation regarding its diagnostic abilities. Furthermore, virtual colonoscopy does not allow for therapeutic maneuvers such as polyp/tumor removal or biopsy nor visualization of lesions smaller than 5 millimeters. If a growth or polyp is detected using CT colonography, a standard colonoscopy would still need to be performed.

Colonoscopy can remove polyps as small as one millimeter or less. Once polyps are removed, they can be studied with the aid of a microscope to determine if they are precancerous or not.

Colonoscopy is similar to but not the same as sigmoidoscopy, the difference being related to which parts of the colon each can examine. While colonoscopy allows an examination of the entire colon (measuring four to five feet in length), sigmoidoscopy allows doctors to view only the final two feet of the colon. A sigmoidoscopy is often used as a screening procedure for a full colonoscopy, in many instances in conjunction with a fecal occult blood test (FOBT), which can detect the formation of cancerous cells throughout the colon. Other times, a sigmoidoscopy is preferred to a full colonoscopy in patients having an active flare of ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease to avoid perforation of the colon. Additionally, surgeons have lately been using the term pouchoscopy to refer to a colonoscopy of the ileo-anal pouch.

For more information about Colonoscopy, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.