If you have ever visited a gastroenterologist for digestive problems such as constipation, you have probably heard of a colonoscopy. This term, which sounds strange and even scary to many of us, is one of the most common procedures for examining the large intestine (colon). Stay tuned for exactly how a colonoscopy is performed... we explain its alternative techniques in full.... What is a colonoscopy?... A colonoscopy is a procedure that allows a doctor (usually a gastroenterologist) to examine the inside of the colon (120x the size of a colon). What are the reasons for a colonoscopy? Colonoscopies may be performed for a variety of reasons. Most colonoscopies are performed as part of colon cancer screening programs. Polyps or colon cancer are more common than other people.. The risk and abnormalities observed in previous colonoscopies depend on it.. It is a general recommendation that even healthy people with a normal risk of colon cancer should have a colonoscopy at the age of 50 and every 10 years after that to remove polyps before they become cancerous. In order for the colonoscopy to be done completely and accurately, the colon must be completely clean.. Intestine preparation before colonoscopy is done in different ways.. Follow the doctor's prescription. Otherwise, the colonoscopy may not be satisfactory.. That is, the images related to the inner lining of the large intestine are vague and indistinct due to the residual feces.... In this case, it may be necessary to repeat the colonoscopy or perform an alternative test with less accuracy.... What measures should be taken regarding the patient's diet or current medications before the colonoscopy?.. Most medications should be continued as usual, but some medications may interfere with this test. If the dentist needs antibiotics to prevent infection, he must inform the colonist.. The person may also be asked to avoid certain foods such as fibrous foods, grainy foods or red jelly for a few days before the colonoscopy.. What should I expect from the colonoscopy? Before the colonoscopy, the injection of intravenous fluids (serum) begins and the patient is connected to a monitor for continuous monitoring of the heart rhythm, blood pressure, as well as the blood oxygen level... Usually sedative drugs are injected into the patient through the serum to make the patient sleepy and calm and feel less pain. and rarely causes severe back pain.. The colonoscope reaches the head of the large intestine (cecum) or the last part of the small intestine (end of the colon), is slowly pulled back and the lining of the colon is carefully examined.... Colonoscopy usually takes 15-60 minutes. What happens if abnormalities are found during the colonoscopy? If during the colonoscopy it is determined that the abnormal area needs further evaluation, biopsy forceps are passed through a channel in the colonoscope and a sample of the abnormal area is taken. This sample is sent to the pathobiology laboratory to be examined by a pathologist under a microscope.. If infection is suspected, a biopsy is performed for bacterial culture or virus microscopy.. Removed through colonoscopy... Removing these polyps is an important way to prevent colon and rectal (colorectal) cancer, although most of these polyps are benign and do not become cancerous.... usually none of these cases cause pain.... Remember that sampling (biopsy) is done for various reasons and it does not necessarily mean that the person is suspicious after a colonoscopy? The patient will be observed for 1-2 hours after the colonoscopy until the effects of the drugs have completely worn off... If the patient has been given sedatives before or during the colonoscopy, he should not drive and someone else should drive him home, even if he is fully conscious.... The patient's decision-making and reactions may be impaired for the rest of the day, and therefore it is dangerous for him to drive, operate machinery, or make important decisions.... pass gas, and the person should be able to return home as soon as eat.... After removing the polyp or some other manipulations, the patient's diet or activities may be limited for a short time.... Before the patient leaves the colonoscopy unit, the results of the doctor's findings are shared with him... Alternative methods? If a colonoscopy is performed by an experienced and trained doctor, side effects are usually rare and very minor... Bleeding may occur at the site of sampling or removal of the polyp, but this bleeding is often minor and will stop on its own or can be controlled through colonoscopy.. colon wall, but even these holes do not require surgery. Dr. Mehdi Afzal Aghaei's office to learn more, click on the image below... Other possible complications include: patient's reaction to sedative drugs, local irritation in the vein, within 1 day (in which the swelling was resolved in 2 days) or complications from existing heart or lung diseases.... The probability of all these complications together is less than 1%.... Although these complications are rare, it is important for patients to recognize the early symptoms of the complication so that they can go to the doctor or emergency room if necessary.. If the patient has severe abdominal pain, rectal bleeding (more than half a cup) and chills, they should contact their colonoscopy physician.. The best available method for identifying, diagnosing, and treating colon abnormalities is... limited. and if an abnormal area is discovered, a colonoscopy is still needed to sample or remove that abnormal lesion by abnormal tissue, abnormal tissue, sometimes colonoscopy is needed.. stool or food residue is in the large intestine (due to incomplete cleansing of the large intestine)... in such cases, a colonoscopy should be performed to determine the nature of the lesion.... virtual colonoscopy is an alternative to colonoscopy.. virtual colonoscopy is a technique which uses a CT scan to take images of the large intestine.. It is created using CT scan images, so they are virtual and do not represent the real images. Even large distances can be well recognized.. which are sometimes hidden from the point of view of conventional colonoscopy.. However, virtual colonoscopy has several limitations: - Virtual colonoscopy has difficulty in identifying small polyps (polyps smaller than 5 mm).. while these polyps are easily seen in conventional colonoscopy.. - Virtual colonoscopy cannot detect flat cancers or precancerous lesions that are not raised or protruding (in other words, they are not polyps).. - In virtual colonoscopy, it is not possible to remove detected polyps. are.. - Virtual colonoscopy exposes people to moderate radiation.. Today, new techniques are being developed that are able to distinguish those abnormal lesions that need to be sampled or removed from other lesions, but the use of these new techniques in virtual colonoscopy is not possible... Due to the mentioned limitations, virtual colonoscopy is not a good substitute for conventional colonoscopy and cannot be used as the main screening tool in people with colon cancer. High colonoscopy is used for people who are at risk of developing polyps or colon cancer and cannot or do not want to undergo a conventional colonoscopy. New developments in colonoscopy. Today there are new developments in colonoscopy. They focus on what is difficult to detect - small lesions (eg small polyps) and the ability to detect small polyps or flat lesions that need to be sampled or removed...or removed completely....This is important because many of these lesions are not pre-cancerous or malignant and it takes a lot of time and money to remove them and perform a microscopic examination...using light enhances the pattern of small blood vessels that are just under the lining of the colon... The pattern of these vessels is different in normal, pre-cancerous and malignant tissues... Determining this pattern makes it easy to recognize tissues, especially pre-cancerous and malignant tissues, and makes it easier to decide whether to sample or remove this tissue during colonoscopy and before the results of the microscopic examination are ready. Fluorescein is used....These substances are either sprayed onto the lining of the intestine or injected intravenously..Lighting provides a clearer view of areas with abnormal cells so they can be sampled or removed completely..Confocal laser endoscopy uses a specific wavelength..Light uses several millimeters to penetrate the fluorescein-stained lining of the colon..Abnormal cells are clearer in this method than with fluorescein staining alone. are detected.. of the colon in addition to the forward view of the colonoscope head... Therefore, the images are taken in two 180 degree opposite directions... They are to reduce lesions that may be hidden behind the folds of the lining of the colon.... Such lesions cannot be seen with a standard front-view colonoscope... Even efforts are underway to develop a self-propelled colonoscope... Imaging is still in the experimental stages and it is not yet clear which of them will be a valuable adjunct to colonoscopy... In the end, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to examine the colon in a similar way to CT virtual colonoscopy... The main advantage of MRI is that It does not use any type of radiation, but it has limitations such as virtual CT colonoscopy.. Diseases in Mashhad have a specialized board. > > Performing endoscopy and colonoscopy in the office with anesthesia and without pain with the lowest cost and the best quality for the well-being of dear patients > > To schedule an appointment, you can call 051 (38704066) every day.... > > Office address: Mashhad, Kausar Blvd., between Kausar 2 and 4 - Farabi Building - 2nd floor **Gastroenterologist in Mashhad** ====================================