Colonoscopy Procedure (image courtesy of NCI)

Colonoscopy

What is a Colonoscopy?

During a colonoscopy, the doctor examines your colon with a special instrument called an endoscope. This instrument is a long flexible tube, similar to a telescope, which lets the doctor clearly see the inside of your colon.

You will be instructed to lie on your left side. The doctor will give you medicine through the IV, which will make you relax and feel sleepy. The nurse will be monitoring your blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. You may feel bloated or need to pass gas during the test because the doctor uses air to inflate the colon, so that he or she can see clearly. You will feel better when you pass gas. If you are uncomfortable, you will receive more medicine through the IV. The actual test will take between 30 and 60 minutes. If necessary, the doctor can take a tissue sample (biopsy), or remove a growth (polyp), but you will not feel this.

You will be in the doctor's office from three to four hours from the time you arrive in the office until the time you are ready to leave. The procedure itself takes 30 to 45 minutes. If biopsies are taken or polyps are removed during the test, they are sent to a laboratory to be processed and examined under a microscope. It will take approximately two weeks to receive the results.

How do I prepare for a Colonoscopy?

Test Prep Instructions for Rush University Patients:

• Colonoscopy - MoviPrep
• Colonoscopy - Fleets Prep
• Colonoscopy - Golytely or Nulytely
• Colonoscopy - Osmo Prep
• Colonoscopy - Magnesium Citrate
• Colonoscopia (Spanish)

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