GC: n
S: WebMD – http://www.webmd.com/colorectal-cancer/colonoscopy-16695 (last access: 3 August 2017); MedicineNet.com – http://www.medicinenet.com/colonoscopy/article.htm (last access: 3 August 2017).
N: 1. by 1902 (earlier procto-colonoscopy, 1896; colonoscope attested from 1884), from colon (“large intestine,” late 14c., from Latinized form of Greek kolon, with a short initial -o-, “large intestine,” which is of unknown origin) + –scopy (word-forming element meaning “viewing, examining, observing,” from Modern Latin -scopium, from Greek –skopion, from skopein “to look at, examine” -from PIE root *spek- “to observe”-).
2. Colonoscopy is a procedure in which a doctor uses a colonoscope or scope, to look inside your rectum and colon. Colonoscopy can show irritated and swollen tissue, ulcers, polyps, and cancer.
3. In almost 90% of cases, colorectal cancer can be cured if detected at an early stage? Virtual colonoscopy, which function is the early detection of colon cancer, represents a substitute to endoscopic colonoscopy. This exam is performed by CT scan, and the data obtained is reconstructed with the help of softwares that generates images similar to those produced through conventional colonoscopy (endoscopy).
Conventional colonoscopy remains the best examination for the evaluation of all colon pathologies. However, it is not a perfect procedure. The technique implies discomfort for the patient and usually requires sedation, which involves some risks. In addition, there have been an appreciable amount of cases of intestinal perforation, and the evaluation is sometimes incomplete, since the endoscope cannot be inserted all the way to the extremity of the colon.
4. Is virtual colonoscopy as efficient as endoscopic colonoscopy?
According to a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, virtual colonoscopy has allowed the detection of over 90% of all significant polyps, a percentage that is slightly higher than that of endoscopic colonoscopy. In addition, it does not require sedation, the procedure is faster and better tolerated than conventional colonoscopy, and the risk of perforation is extremely low.
Virtual colonoscopy is used mainly to:
- Replace barium enema;
- Complement an incomplete conventional colonoscopy;
- Detect colon cancer (alternative to conventional colonoscopy).
S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=colonoscopy (last access: 3 August 2017). 2. NIH – https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diagnostic-tests/colonoscopy (last access: 3 August 2017). 3 & 4. http://rimc.ca/en/service/virtual-coloscopy/ (last access: 3 August 2017).
SYN: coloscopy
S: GDT (last access: 3 August 2017); http://rimc.ca/en/service/virtual-coloscopy/ (last access: 3 August 2017).
