Our colon has a great workload every day – digesting, absorbing and eliminating the food we eat. To maintain a healthy gut, a balanced diet and regular colonoscopy work hand in hand.

Do I need a colonoscopy?
Colon cancer is the second cancer killer in Hong Kong. If you are over 50, or with any problems as stated below, please seek advice from your doctor if you need a colonoscopy.
• Changes in fecal habits (constant diarrhea / constipation)
• Feaces with blood or mucus
• Lumps in the abdomen
• Continuous abdominal pain
• Anemia without a known cause
• Chronic enteritis
• Family history of colon cancer

What is colonoscopy?
Colonoscopy is a kind of endoscopy which aims at examining the inner wall of the colon. Colonoscopy is made of a very fine optic fiber with a camera at the tip, which sends images of the intestine to a television screen, so doctors can understand the conditions of the patient’s intestine.

Points to note before the examination
• Clear the bowel to remove any fecal substances before the examination.
Doctors would prescribe laxatives.
• 3 days before
o Low fiber diet (eg. Rice, noodles, biscuits, winter melon, tofu, fish)
o Avoid high fiber food (eg. Brown rice, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, fatty meat, roasted meat)
• 1 day before:
o Fluid diet only (eg. Tea, clear soup, rice water, glucose or electrolyte drinks)
o Avoid milk, vegetable juice, grapefruit juice
• 6 hours before:
o Sip of water only (no food allowed)
• Before the examination, you will be given a surgical gown, and taking off all the accessories, including any metal substances, contact lens and dentures.

Procedure:
• Lay on the left side, knees bending towards the abdomen
• Doctors would monitor patient’s vital signs throughout the procedure to ensure safety
• Anesthesia will be given before the procedure
• The endoscope enters through the anus, and travel through the colon, to examine sigmoid colon, descending colon, transverse colon, ascending colon and appendix. Air will be inflated into the colon for better vision of the inner wall.
• Any polyps, ulcer, tumors or any abnormality is observed, it will be surgically removed for further laboratory testing
• The procedure lasts for about 30-60 minutes.
Precautions after procedure
• Once recovered, normal diet can be resumed in most cases.
• Since air is inflated into the intestine, the abdomen will be slightly swollen and flatulence is frequent, but it will eventually diminish. • Ask for family or friends for company.
• Avoid alcohol, driving or signing important documents within 24 hours.
• If there is any severe abdominal pain or excessive bleeding observed in the anus, please contact medical professionals.

Is colonoscopy safe?
With over 20 years of history, the safety of colonoscopy is well proven. Also, doctor will assess the risk of the procedure to minimize the risk of complications.
• The risk of intestinal perforation due to polyp removal is less than 1 in 2000.
• Mild bleeding will be observed in the site of incision, which will clot by itself, the chance is about 2%.