Colonoscopy

The large intestine, also called the colon, is the last portion of your digestive tract. It consists of a hollow tube about 4 feet long that absorbs water and minerals from digested food and contains the rectum which stores undigested solid waste.

Colonoscopy refers to a procedure  in which, colonoscope is used to look inside the colon .  Colonoscope is a thin flexible tube,  with a tiny video camera and a light at the end,  that is long enough to inspect all of the large intestine and even the lower part of the small intestine. The high quality picture from the Colonoscope is shown on a TV monitor. By adjusting the controls on the colonoscope, Dr. Karim Shakoor(hyperlink) can carefully guide the instrument in any direction to look inside the colon

Why is a colonoscopy performed?

Colonoscopy  is an important procedure to diagnose colon cancer and to remove colon polyps .Colonoscopy can also be used to evaluate problems such as

• Blood Loss

• Active bleeding from the large intestine

• Changes in bowel habits like diarrhea

• Abdominal or rectal pain

•  The procedure usually lasts about 20 to 30 minutes and recovery afterwards is another 20 minutes or so.