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Last updated: 02/17/2009
A screening examination for colorectal cancer is a test for fecal occult blood. A dab of fecal material from toilet tissue is smeared onto a card. The card is treated in a laboratory to reveal the presence of bleeding. This test is normally performed...
prior to a sigmoidoscopic examination.
A less invasive alternative to a sigmoidoscopic examination is an x ray of the colon and rectum. Barium is used to coat the inner walls of the colon. This lower GI (gastrointestinal) x ray may reveal the outlines of suspicious or abnormal structures. It has the disadvantage of not allowing direct visualization of the colon. It is less costly than a sigmoidoscopic examination.
A more invasive procedure is direct visualization of the colon during surgery. This procesdure is rarely performed in the United States.
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Sigmoidoscopy is the minimally invasive medical examination of the large intestine from the rectum through the last part of the colon. There are two types of sigmoidoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, which uses a flexible endoscope, and rigid sigmoidoscopy, which uses a rigid device. Flexible sigmoidoscopy is generally the preferred procedure. A sigmoidoscopy is a very effective screening tool. A sigmoidoscopy is similar but not the same as a colonoscopy. A Sigmoidoscopy only examines up to the sigmoid, the most distal part of the colon, while colonoscopy examines the whole large bowel.
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