colonoscopy vs sigmoidoscopy

[manonash]

I read on the finerhealth website that if you have MC, then the air they use to inflate your colon during the colonoscopy could cause cracking in the tissues. Is that something I need to worry about while looking for a diagnosis? If it were to happen, does it heal ok or cause scarring?

Thanks!

[tex]

Good question. I have a hunch that it will cause additional irritation and inflammation, until it heals. The thing that I am most concerned about, though, is that in some cases it can actually result in ruptures of the wall of the colon, and when that happens, immediate, emergency surgery is necessary, to save the patient's life. When you sign those papers prior to an exam, that's one of the issues that's covered by that paperwork. You have to agree to not hold them liable, in the event that something of that sort happens during, or as a result of, the exam. As I recall, perforations occur in something like 3 or 4% of colonoscopy exams. The risk is significantly reduced with sigmoidoscopy exams, but of course, a slight risk still exists.

GI docs don't seem to worry about that risk, because many thousands of colonoscopy exams are done every day. The risk is obviously greater with Crohn's and UC patients, or cancer patients, since the lesions with Crohn's and UC can be deep enough to seriously weaken the colon wall. No member of this board, has ever reported a "perforation incident", to date.

Tex

[MaggieRedwings]

The effects of what could happen having CC and having a colonoscopy done made me tell my doctor that there absolutely would not be another. He seemed to think I was blowing the possibility of problems out of proportion. Needless to say, that was my last visit with him and probably with any of them.

Love, Maggie