Colonoscopy is an imaging method that is widely used in the diagnosis and treatment of colon diseases.
During the procedure, a flexible and bendable device called a Colonoscope, 160 cm long, as thick as an index finger, with a tiny camera at the tip and channels for the passage of water and air, is used.
Camera images are projected onto a high-definition television screen. In patients with adequate bowel cleansing, the large intestine canal is opened and made visible by injecting air. Since tension and pain may be felt in the abdomen due to the air given, the procedure is usually performed under anesthesia (sedation).
Polyps, tumors, inflammatory changes, vascular diseases that can cause bleeding and many other conditions in the large intestine can be seen during the procedure. Biopsies can be taken for diagnostic purposes from tissue that is different from normal, including tumoral formations, and if structures called polyps are present, they can all be removed.
Intestinal cleansing is performed before colonoscopy. Both oral and rectal medications are preferred.
For the colonoscopy diet, granular (solid) foods are generally not taken from the morning hours, one day before the procedure. It is continued to be fed with liquid content and without grains. In the afternoon, cleaning begins with oral medications.
It is recommended to consume plenty of water in between, as diarrhea will start due to these drugs later in the day and blood pressure may decrease with fluid loss. The patient is prepared for the procedure to be performed the next day, by fasting as of midnight.
After the colonoscopy, the patient is taken to the rest room.
It is normal to feel drowsiness, decrease in perception and reasoning, and not remembering the procedure depending on the drugs used. The patient in the rest room is followed for 1-2 hours in terms of blood pressure, pulse, shortness of breath, abdominal pain and rectal bleeding. It is expected that the air given during the colonoscopy will be removed through the anus and the swelling in the abdomen will regress.
At the end of this period, the patient can be discharged and return to his normal diet and daily life.
However, tasks that require attention, such as driving, are not recommended for the first 12 hours.
It is absolutely necessary to consult a doctor in cases of abdominal pain, swelling in the abdomen, nausea, vomiting, fever, chills and continuous bleeding from the anus that continues for 24 hours.
In general, the structures that appear as bulges on the inner wall of the intestinal canal are called polyps.
Polyps have genetic features and are common in the society, and their frequency increases with advancing age.
Although most of the polyps detected and removed during colonoscopy are benign, it should not be forgotten that colon cancers develop from polyps.
Their size varies from a few millimeters to a few centimeters, and their large number and size (above 2 cm) increase the possibility of being malignant. Since the majority of colon cancers are known to originate from polyps, they must be removed when seen during the procedure.
Very enlarged polyps can cause conditions such as abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, intestinal obstruction.
During the colonoscopy procedure, the polyps are caught by the lasso-shaped wires called snare and removed by burning the base. During this time, the patient does not feel pain. After the procedure, the patient should be followed up for bleeding.
It is an imaging method used in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the esophagus, stomach and duodenum.
There is a tiny camera at the end of the Gastroscope used during the procedure and its length is 110-120 cm. The device, which is flexible and bendable, also has passage channels for water, air and auxiliary materials.
Gastroscopy can be performed after 6-8 hours of fasting. If no intervention and additional procedures are performed, the process of imaging the esophagus, stomach and duodenum by giving air takes an average of 10 minutes. This period changes in cases such as biopsy, intervention to bleeding, removal of polyps, removal of swallowed foreign body.
The gastroscopy procedure is performed without anesthesia or in the form of a mild sleepiness called sedation. If it is done under sedation, the patient should rest for about 1 hour. In addition, there may be a tickling sensation in the throat, a slight pain, stinging, a slight difficulty in swallowing and sometimes coughing.
Depending on the interventions made during the procedure, the length of stay in the rest room varies. If gastric bleeding has been intervened, if the polyp has been removed, if a biopsy has been taken from a suspicious area of ulcer or cancer, if a stent has been inserted, or if a balloon placement procedure has been applied to the stomach, the resting period may be prolonged.
The information, images and comments on the surgical operations mentioned on this website are for informational purposes only. The decision on diagnosis, treatment and follow-up methods will be made by the doctor.