AOL: How Often Should You Get a Colonoscopy and When Should You Start? (Because, Yes, Women Should Be Screened Regularly)
How Often Should You Get a Colonoscopy and When Should You Start? (Because, Yes, Women Should Be Screened Regularly)
A colonoscopy (koe-lun-OS-kuh-pee) is a procedure used to examine the inside of the colon, rectum and when indicated the end of the small intestine. It can investigate symptoms such as bleeding from the anus, changes in bowel movements or belly pain. It can help detect conditions that affect the colon, including colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and diverticular disease.
The follow-up colonoscopy schedule for serrated lesions is like that for adenomas. Preparing for your colonoscopy It's very important to fully clean out your colon before a colonoscopy. If stool remains in the colon and blocks the view of the colon wall, you will likely need another colonoscopy sooner than usual to make sure all polyps are found.
Colonoscopy is one option for colon cancer screening. Find out what to expect during this procedure to examine the inside of your colon.
A virtual colonoscopy, also called CT colonography, uses computerized tomography (CT) imaging to create detailed pictures of the colon and rectum. This test can detect many of the same findings, such as polyps, growths or narrowing, but it does not allow tissue removal or biopsy during the same exam. If a virtual colonoscopy shows anything irregular, a standard colonoscopy is usually needed to ...
Find out more about the pros and cons of specific tests used for colon cancer screening, including colonoscopy, stool DNA test and virtual colonoscopy.