What To Expect:

1

The Basics

A colonoscopy is a visual examination of the large intestine (colon) using a lighted, flexible endoscope. This procedure is always done in a private room to protect your privacy. To increase your comfort, you will be sedated through an IV, which is started by a member of our expert nursing staff a few minutes prior to the procedure.  The medication that you will receive is meant to relax you. In fact, most patients “sleep” during the entire process and remember little to nothing about it. If polyps (very small cancerous growths) are found, your doctor can remove them immediately.  The removal of polyps is important as they can later become cancerous.  This is a very important step of your colonoscopy- the number one reason you are taking this preventive step.

2

During the Screening

When it's time to start the screening, you will be asked to lie on your side.  Once sedation takes effect (in a matter of seconds), an endoscope is inserted through the colon opening (the rectum) and moved gently around the bends of the colon. The colon is actually a long, flexible tube that is several feet long and bends several times. As the endoscope makes its way through the colon, the physician can see the colon walls on a television screen. Typically, the physician looks all the way to the end of the large intestine and back for anything unusual. The entire scoping process typically takes between 15 and 30 minutes. When complete, your nurse will take you into a recovery area, where the sedation quickly wears off and where your physician will come talk to you about your test and any findings. 

3

If a Polyp is Found

If your doctor sees an area that needs further evaluation, he or she will perform a biopsy.  The biopsy involves passing an instrument through the endoscope to remove a small piece of tissue about the size of a pinhead, which is sent to a laboratory to be analyzed. You should feel nothing when a biopsy or polyp is taken, and you should experience no recovery pain. While the overwhelming majority of polyps are harmless, your physician will have confirmed results usually within 24-72 hours depending on the day of the week of your procedure.

4

Test Frequency

Everyone should start having colonoscopies at 50 years old.

You should repeat every 10 years if you have no family history of colon cancer and no polyps are found.

If a polyp (benign or malignant) is found, your physician will recommend that you repeat your colonoscopy every three to five years, depending on your family history and the type polyps found.

Exception: Anyone with a family history of colon cancer should begin having colonoscopies at 40 years old and, typically, will be asked to come back in for continued follow up every three to five years to catch any developing cancer early, when it's highly curable.