Editing Colonoscopy (section)

{{Short description|Examination of the bowel}}
{{Distinguish|colostomy}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{cs1 config |name-list-style=vanc |display-authors=6}}
{{Infobox medical intervention
| Name        = Colonoscopy
| Image       = US Navy 110405-N-KA543-028 Hospitalman Urian D. Thompson, left, Lt. Cmdr. Eric A. Lavery and Registered Nurse Steven Cherry review the monitor whil.jpg
| Caption     = Colonoscopy being performed
| ICD10       =
| ICD9        = {{ICD9proc|45.23}}
| MeshID      = D003113
| OPS301      = {{OPS301|1-650}}
| MedlinePlus = 003886
| OtherCodes  =
}}

'''Colonoscopy''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|k|ɒ|l|ə|ˈ|n|ɒ|s|k|ə|p|i}}) or '''coloscopy''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|l|ɒ|s|k|ə|p|i}})<ref>{{cite web | title = Colonoscopy | url = http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/colonoscopy | work = The American Heritage Medical Dictionary | publisher = Houghton Mifflin Company | via = thefreedictionary.com | access-date = 28 October 2012 | archive-date = 12 May 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210512192101/https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/colonoscopy | url-status = live }}</ref> is a medical procedure involving the [[Endoscopy|endoscopic]] examination of the [[large bowel]] (colon) and the [[distal]] portion of the small bowel. This examination is performed using either a [[Charge-coupled device|CCD camera]] or a [[fiber optic camera]], which is mounted on a flexible tube and passed through the anus.<ref name="uspstf">{{cite web |title=Recommendation: Colorectal Cancer: Screening | date=18 May 2021 |url=https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/colorectal-cancer-screening |access-date=10 November 2023 |website=United States Preventive Services Task Force |archive-date=10 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110015751/https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/colorectal-cancer-screening |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Colonoscopy - NIDDK |url=https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diagnostic-tests/colonoscopy |access-date=10 November 2023 |website=National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases |archive-date=3 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220503214437/https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diagnostic-tests/colonoscopy |url-status=live }}</ref>

The purpose of a colonoscopy is to provide a visual diagnosis via inspection of the internal lining of the colon wall, which may include identifying issues such as ulceration or [[Precancerous condition|precancerous]] polyps, and to enable the opportunity for [[biopsy]] or the removal of suspected [[colorectal cancer]] lesions.<ref>{{cite web |vauthors=Orr L |title=Do Colonoscopies Prevent Colon Cancer? |url=https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/do-colonoscopies-prevent-colon-cancer |access-date=7 November 2023 |website=URMC Newsroom |archive-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107143401/https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/do-colonoscopies-prevent-colon-cancer |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Waye |first1=Jerome D. |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781118553442 |title=Practical Colonoscopy |last2=Aisenberg |first2=James |last3=Rubin |first3=Peter H. |date=18 April 2013 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-0-470-67058-3 |edition=1 |doi=10.1002/9781118553442 |access-date=10 November 2023 |archive-date=10 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110042057/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781118553442 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Colonoscopy is similar to [[sigmoidoscopy]], but surveys the entire colon rather than only the sigmoid colon. A colonoscopy permits a comprehensive examination of the entire colon, which is typically around 1,200 to 1,500 millimeters in length.<ref>{{cite web |title=Small & Large Intestine Whereas a sigmoidoscopy is purposefully examining only the distal (left) side of the colon. |url=https://training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/digestive/regions/intestine.html |access-date=7 November 2023 |website=SEER Training |archive-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107143404/https://training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/digestive/regions/intestine.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=April 2025}}

In contrast, a sigmoidoscopy allows for the examination of only the distal portion of the colon, which spans approximately 600 millimeters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Flexible sigmoidoscopy |url=https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/bowel-cancer/getting-diagnosed/tests/flexible-sigmoidoscopy |access-date=10 November 2023 |website=www.cancerresearchuk.org |archive-date=10 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110045737/https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/bowel-cancer/getting-diagnosed/tests/flexible-sigmoidoscopy |url-status=live }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=April 2025}} This distinction is medically significant because the benefits of colonoscopy in terms of improving cancer survival have primarily been associated with the detection of lesions in the distal portion of the colon.<ref name="uspstf" />

Routine use of colonoscopy screening varies globally. In the US, colonoscopy is a commonly recommended and widely utilized screening method for colorectal cancer, often beginning at age 45 or 50, depending on risk factors and guidelines from organizations like the American Cancer Society.<ref name="colon-rectal-cancer">{{cite web |title=Colorectal Cancer Guideline |url=https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/colon-rectal-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/acs-recommendations.html |access-date=7 November 2023 |website=www.cancer.org |archive-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107000040/https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/colon-rectal-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/acs-recommendations.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, screening practices differ worldwide. For example, in the European Union, several countries primarily employ fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) or sigmoidoscopy for population-based screening.<ref>{{cite web |title=Statement on the Council cancer screening recommendations |url=https://www.feam.eu/statement-on-the-european-council-cancer-screening-recommendations/ |access-date=7 November 2023 |website=FEAM |archive-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107161234/https://www.feam.eu/statement-on-the-european-council-cancer-screening-recommendations/ |url-status=live }}</ref> These variations stem from differences in healthcare systems, policies, and cultural factors. Recent studies<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Wong MC, Huang J, Liang PS | title = Is the practice of colorectal cancer screening questionable after the NordICC trial was published? | journal = Clinical and Translational Medicine | volume = 13 | issue = 10 | pages = e1365 | date = October 2023 | pmid = 37792640 | pmc = 10550029 | doi = 10.1002/ctm2.1365 }}</ref> have stressed the need for screening strategies and awareness campaigns to combat colorectal cancer - on a global scale.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Audibert C, Perlaky A, Glass D | title = Global perspective on colonoscopy use for colorectal cancer screening: A multi-country survey of practicing colonoscopists | journal = Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications | volume = 7 | pages = 116–121 | date = September 2017 | pmid = 29696175 | pmc = 5898517 | doi = 10.1016/j.conctc.2017.06.008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Hayman CV, Vyas D | title = Screening colonoscopy: The present and the future | journal = World Journal of Gastroenterology | volume = 27 | issue = 3 | pages = 233–239 | date = January 2021 | pmid = 33519138 | pmc = 7814366 | doi = 10.3748/wjg.v27.i3.233 | doi-access = free }}</ref>