Flexible Sigmoidoscopy in St. Louis, MO

You will be instructed to arrive at the endoscopy center an hour to an hour and a half before your flexible sigmoidoscopy. This will allow you time to complete paperwork and prepare for the procedure. You will be directed to put on a hospital gown. No IV will be started since, typically, sedation is not given for this exam. You may be hooked up to equipment that will permit the staff and provider to monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, pulse, electrocardiogram, breathing, and oxygen level throughout and after the procedure.

Once in the exam room, you'll be instructed to lie down on your left side on the exam table. Then, your GI specialist will carry out an exam of your rectum. The sigmoidoscope will then be slowly inserted into the rectum. The scope will be carefully advanced through the sigmoid colon. A tiny bit of air is inserted through the tube into the colon to help the provider see. Any fluid still in the colon after the preparation can be washed and suctioned out by the scope. Depending on the exam results, a number of complications can be done at the time of the exam including removal of polyps, control of bleeding, and biopsies. At the end of the exam, all possible remaining fluid and air are removed from the colon via the scope. Depending on the results, the procedure usually takes 5 – 15 minutes.

Because anesthesia is not usually necessary, once the exam is concluded you will be allowed to change back into your clothes and can leave the endoscopy center. Assuming sedation is not needed, you will be allowed to perform can return to your daily routine. Most individuals are free to eat and drink normally following their discharge from the endoscopy unit, however, specific guidelines regarding eating, medication, and activities will be given to you before discharge. Following the exam, the nurse and/or specialist will review the exam results with you. You will also go home with a written report. We will notify you of any results from biopsies in 7 days or less.

Typically, sigmoidoscopy is a very safe procedure. Overall, complications occur in less than 1% of cases. Most complications are not serious, however, in the rare event of a complication, it might call for hospitalization and surgery. Before the procedure, a consent form will be reviewed with you by the nursing staff. Should any concerns or questions arise, these can be reviewed with your physician before the beginning of the procedure.

Bleeding can occur with biopsies and the removal of polyps. To reiterate, significant bleeding that necessitates hospitalization or a blood transfusion is highly uncommon. However, bleeding may occur at the time of the procedure or as long as two weeks post-exam in the case that a polyp is removed.

Puncture or perforation of the large intestine can occur. This may be found during the exam, or it may not be apparent until later in the day. In most cases, a puncture will require hospitalization and surgery. This is a rare complication, even when polyps are excised. It is important that you contact your specialist's office promptly if symptoms manifest after the procedure such as worsening abdominal pain, bleeding, or fever.

As with any other test, a sigmoidoscopy is not always perfect. There exists a small, accepted risk that tissue abnormalities including cancer and polyps can be missed during the exam. It is of the utmost importance to remain vigilant and to follow up with your specialist as directed. Be sure to make them aware of any new or ongoing symptoms. Please consult with your Specialists in Gastroenterology provider if you have any concerns or questions.