Synonym
Colonoscopy
Introduction
The duration of a colonoscopy, like any other examination, is subject to strong individual variation depending on the type and objective of the procedure. A deviating duration of the colonoscopy from standard values or rather experience values does not mean a bad result, but can be the result of an increased effort of the examination or simply a technical problem. A longer stay in the examination area should also not unsettle the patient, as this is usually caused by the daily routine in the hospital or practice. However, if one or more abnormalities are found during the colonoscopy, these must be examined more closely, which leads to a time delay. Due to these variable conditions, it is not possible to give an exact time for the duration of a colonoscopy, but only rough guidelines according to the previous assessment of the extent of the examination.
Duration of a routine colonoscopy
The preparation for a colonoscopy begins several days before the actual examination. This preparation phase serves to completely cleanse the colon so that the colon mucosa can be optimally assessed during the colonoscopy. For this purpose, depending on the scheme, a salty liquid is drunk one or two days before the examination, which causes a strong evacuation of the bowel.
Either the intestinal cleansing agent is divided into 4 litres of liquid or it is reduced to a quarter of a litre and the remaining liquid is absorbed in the form of water or tea. Several days before the examination, wholemeal products and fruit containing seeds should be avoided. Two days before, only light food may be consumed.
This includes fish, rice and steamed vegetables. On the evening before the colonoscopy, one meal must be completely avoided so that the examination can be performed the following day in a completely sober condition. The aim is to have the colon free of long digestible food and to pre-clean it in such a way that only a watery liquid is excreted from the intestine.
If this is the case, the intestine is optimally prepared for the colonoscopy and the actual examination can begin. A sedative is administered shortly before the examination begins, and only a few minutes pass before the procedure begins. The actual colonoscopy takes about twenty minutes on average.
However, this time may vary if, for example, polyps or damage to the mucous membrane is found. Depending on the type of change, these are removed completely or a sample is taken from the abnormal area. The more such changes are found during the colonoscopy, the longer the procedure takes, as each individual area must be assessed and treated.
This is followed by a monitoring phase, which is necessary due to the administration of the sedative drug that makes you dizzy. If the colonoscopy is performed in a practice and not as part of an inpatient stay, it is necessary to know that for twenty-four hours there is a limited ability to drive. If the administration of a sedative drug has been dispensed with, no further time needs to be scheduled after the colonoscopy and everyday life can be resumed.
Including the preparation phase, examination and recovery phase, about one week will pass, whereby the actual examination takes only a fraction of this time. In colonoscopy, “preparation is everything” applies in order to avoid another equally time-consuming preparation phase and examination. Routine colonoscopy is recommended by the statutory health insurance for every patient from the age of fifty-fifth.
Private health insurance companies recommend routine colonoscopy from the age of fifty. If no abnormality of the intestinal mucosa, such as a polyp, which is a precancerous stage, was found during this initial examination, the scheduled next colon cancer screening will not take place until ten years later. If, on the other hand, a change in the intestinal mucosa was found and removed at the initial examination, a new colonoscopy will be performed after five years – or earlier in the case of special risk factors, if necessary in consultation with the attending physician.
If there is a hereditary predisposition to polyps or malignant intestinal diseases, colonoscopies are performed at a younger age and at shorter intervals. In this case, close monitoring is sometimes started before the age of twenty.
