Crazy Body Painting: Colonoscopy

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Colonoscopy: benefits and advantages of colonoscopy

According to an article by John C. Wolf Associate Professor of Family Medicine Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, colon cancer strikes about 30 out of each 100,000 people in the Northeast, with slightly lower rates in other parts of the U.S. About 130,000 individuals are diagnosed with colon cancer each year and more than 56,000 die from it.

Due to colonoscopy, polyps can be detected and removed without an abdominal surgery. Colonoscopy is much more accurate than an x-ray exam of the colon to detect polyps or early cancer. Frequently, polyps can be removed at the same time, a major step towards the prevention of colon cancer.

Colonoscopy appeared to greatly reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, particularly among moderate-risk patients.

What is Colonoscopy, definition, basic colon examination procedure

The term colonoscopy means nothing but looking inside the colon (large bowel) by a gastroenterologist or a specialized doctor from the similar field. This is the end part of human body’s digestive tract or GI tract. It begins its journey from the cecum that gets attached to the last part of the small intestine. It finishes its journey at the rectum and anus. The colon is more like a hollow tube, of five feet length. Colon’s primary function is to stock up unabsorbed food products prior to their elimination.

Colonoscopy is a safe, effective procedure that enables an the gastroenterologist (or a specialized doctor from the similar field) to assess the appearance of the inside of the colon or large bowel. This process can be accomplished by inserting a finger think (more or less) flexible tube into the anus. The process moves on as it advances slowly, under visual control, into the rectum and through the colon. It is performed with the visual control of either looking through the instrument or with viewing a TV monitor.