| [ Summary ] |
I have performed over 35,000 colonoscopies since 1983. The purpose of many of those was to screen for asymptomatic colo-rectal carcinoma. I refer to these as "screening colonoscopies". It is strongly believed that repeated follow-up screening colonoscopy is necessary, especially in detecting minute asymptomatic colo-rectal carcinomas. The subjects needing screening colonoscopy are average people with no notable complaints about their health. Therefore screening colonoscopies should be performed less harmful, more comfortable than regular colonoscopies for patients with abdominal symptoms, such as bloody stools, abnormal bowel habits, or lower abdominal pain. We normally use a pediatric colonoscope with a narrow diameter and of medium length for our adult examinees. A pediatric colonoscope is softer and more flexible than the type normally used. Therefore, it causes less pain to the patient. I have advocated colonoscopy without fluoroscopy, with no sedatives or lenitives, when doing such examinations, since 1983. I call this method "simple total colonoscopy". I believe that simple total colonoscopy with a padiatric colonoscope is the most harmless for examinees and most feasible for screening colonoscopy. |