Why is it done?
Colonoscopy is a safe and effective way to evaluate problems such as blood loss, pain, and changes in bowel habits, such as chronic diarrhea or abnormalities that may have first been detected by other tests. Colonoscopy can also identify and treat active bleeding from the bowel.
Colonoscopy is also an important way to check for colon cancer and to treat colon polyps – abnormal growths on the inside lining of the intestine. Polyps vary in size and shape and, while most are not cancerous, some may turn into cancer. However, it is not possible to tell just by looking at a polyp if it is malignant or potentially malignant. This is why colonoscopy is often used to remove polyps, a technique called a polypectomy.
Colonoscopy is also used as a screening and surveillance test for patients with a family history of colonic cancer.