Colonoscopy

Learn more about Colonoscopy

A colonoscopy is a diagnostic procedure that enables a doctor to look inside your large intestine, all the way from the rectum, through the colon, to the lower end of your small intestine. This is done to search for any early signs of cancer in the colon and rectum. It can also help diagnose the cause of any unexplained changes in your bowel habits, inflamed tissue, abnormal growth, ulcers, or bleeding.

You will first be sedated during the procedure to keep you from feeling any discomfort during the exam.

While you lie on your left side on an exam table, the physician will insert a colonoscope – a long, flexible, lighted tube – into your rectum and slowly guide it into your colon. The scope blows air into your colon to inflate it and enable the doctor to see more clearly. Since the scope is flexible, it bends and moves around the curves within your colon. The scope transmits images of the colon’s interior to a monitor so that your physician can examine the lining of the colon.

If the doctor detects an abnormality such as a polyp or inflamed tissue in your colon, he can remove all or part of it with tiny instruments that are passed through the scope. The tissue (a biopsy) is then sent to a lab for testing. Also, if there is any bleeding in the colon, the doctor can stop it using a heated or electrical probe passed through the colonoscope, by injecting medicine, or by attaching a clip to the bleed.

A colonoscopy itself takes 30 to 60 minutes, although you should plan on being at our facility for up to two hours for your procedure. Also, you will not be permitted to leave without someone who can drive you home due the sedative you will receive.

Schedule a Colonoscopy with North Shore Gastroenterology

To learn more about colonoscopy and other procedures provided at North Shore Gastroenterology in Westlake and Brooklyn, Ohio, schedule a consultation by calling us at (440) 808-1212 or you can request one online.