Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men and women. The incidence and mortality rate of the disease have been declining over the past two decades because of early detection and treatment. Screening in persons at average risk should begin at 50 years of age; the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends against routine screening after 75 years of age. Options for screening i...

BACKGROUND Colonoscopy is widely used for management of colorectal diseases. A history of abdominal or pelvic surgery is a well-recognized factor associated with difficult colonoscopy. Although water exchange colonoscopy (WEC) was effective in small groups of male U.S. veterans with such a history, its application in other cultural settings is uncertain. OBJECTIVE To investigate the applicati...

BACKGROUND The use of colonoscopy as a primary screening tool for colorectal cancer is gaining momentum owing to several studies suggesting superior effectiveness and the recent, favorable decision by Medicare to cover all routine screening colonoscopies. This study documents the use of colonoscopy versus other tests to screen for colorectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data from the 2000 Na...

OBJECTIVE To examine the appropriateness and necessity of colonoscopy across Europe. DESIGN Prospective observational study. SETTING A total of 21 gastrointestinal centers from 11 countries. PARTICIPANTS Consecutive patients referred for colonoscopy at each center. INTERVENTION Appropriateness criteria developed by the European Panel on the Appropriateness of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy,...

Background. Quality monitoring and improvement is prerequisite for efficient colonoscopy. Aim. To assess the effects of increased sedation administration on colonoscopy performance. Materials and Methods. During Era 1 we prospectively measured four colonoscopy quality indicators: sedation administration, colonoscopy completion rate, adenoma detection rate, and early complications rate in three ...

INTRODUCTION Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in New York City. In March 2003, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene recommended colonoscopy every 10 years as the preferred screening test for adults aged 50 years and older in New York City. To screen all eligible adults in New York City would require that approximately 200,000 colonoscopy exams b...

BACKGROUND While several tests and strategies are recommended for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, studies suggest that primary care providers often recommend colonoscopy without providing information about its risks or alternatives. These observations raise concerns about the quality of informed consent for screening colonoscopy. METHODS We conducted a telephone survey (August 2008 to Sept...

PURPOSE With the increased availability of colonoscopy to average risk persons due to insurance coverage benefit changes, we sought to identify changes in the colonoscopy workforce. We used outpatient discharge records from South Carolina between 2001 and 2010 to examine shifts over time and in urban versus rural areas in the types of medical providers who perform colonoscopy, and the practice ...

Rectal bleeding often heralds serious colonic disease. The literature suggests that colonoscopy is superior to barium enema plus sigmoidoscopy, although no good comparative studies exist. Seventy one patients with overt rectal bleeding had prospectively flexible sigmoidoscopy, double contrast barium enema and colonoscopy completed independently. Against the gold standard, the sensitivity and sp...