Guide To Getting A Colonoscopy

How The Procedure Works

A physician who specializes in gastroenterology procedures is the one performs a patient's colonoscopy. A colonoscopy lasts for between thirty and sixty minutes, and the patient is sedated with gas or intravenous anesthesia throughout. Once the patient is sedated, a colonoscope or long, flexible tube with a camera on the end of it is passed into the colon and projects a real-time video of what is seen by the camera to a monitor. The colonoscope can bend and fit the curves of the large intestine without puncturing it. The colonoscope used for the procedure can also blow air into the large intestine to give the physician a better view. If abnormalities are discovered during a colonoscopy, a biopsy can be performed using small instruments passed through the colonoscope to examine the abnormal or suspicious cells. When the physician is finished with their examination, they will slowly remove the colonoscope. The patient is then transferred to recovery where they stay for about an hour for observation.

Get familiar with the risks associated with a colonoscopy now.