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Fibrocolonoscopy
Last reviewed: 20.11.2021
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Fibrocolonoscopy is a modern diagnostic method that has bypassed traditional colonoscopy in its properties. This method is now used in many large specialized medical institutions. What is the essence of this study?
The essence of fibrocolonoscopy
The study is conducted with the purpose of inspection of the rectum. This is done using a special device - a fibrocolonoscope. The set for this fish includes biopsy forceps with different properties (for example, forceps crocodile or rat tooth. Thanks to their work, you can take a piece of rectal tissue and diagnose it for diseases or malignant tumors.
The device also contains cleaning brushes, a set of valves for the cylinders of which the fibrocolonoscope consists, and eyepieces for viewing the state of the rectum and colon. The device itself is similar to a flexible combination of fibers with a tendency to conduct light. Due to this property, the doctor on the monitor can see the state of the rectum and colon.
Using a fibrocolonoscope, you can even perform operations without the use of large incisions - endoscopy. During such an operation, tumors or polyps can be removed from the rectum or colon without resorting to surgery.
What tasks does fibrocolonoscopy do?
This method of high-precision diagnosis is carried out in patients with colitis, Hirschsprung disease, Crohn's disease, colon tumors, the detection of foreign bodies in it, suspected polyps or cancer.
Fibrocolonoscopy differs from other diagnostic methods in that you can pinch off a piece of tissue for examination. This study is called histological - under a microscope, they examine the tissues that were previously stained with a special dye to reveal abnormalities in them, in particular - tumors. That is why fibrocolonoscopy is so popular in the diagnosis of cancer.
Another major goal of fibrocolonoscopy is the elimination of benign tumors in the colon, in particular, polyps. Moreover, the advantage of this method is that the polyps are removed directly during the examination. Their tissue can immediately be examined for the presence of malignant tumors in order to prevent them. The fact is that an increased number of polyps indicates an increased risk of cancer.
How to prepare for fibrocolonoscopy?
Before examining the intestines, doctors must make sure that it is completely cleared of feces and food debris. Therefore, before the diagnosis you need to do a cleansing enema, the patient may be prescribed laxatives. Special preparations can be prescribed, for example, such as Fortrans - with their help the intestines will be cleared faster and with higher quality.
Recommendations for patients with constipation and hemorrhoids
Such patients should be especially careful with their rectum before examining it. Preparation for fibrocolonoscopy can be started 3 days before diagnosis. Here is how it is done. 3 days before undergoing fibrocolonoscopy, you need to go on a special diet. That is, exclude fresh vegetables and fruits from the menu, as well as legumes, do not eat black bread, exclude all types of cabbage, including cabbage in borscht or soup, that is, heat treated.
All these days you need not stop taking the laxatives that your doctor prescribed. Maybe, in your condition, you need to increase the doses of these laxatives - your gastroenterologist should tell you about this.
Is the fibrocolonoscopy method dangerous?
According to reviews of doctors and patients, this method is completely painless and not dangerous for the life and health of the patient. It is quite complex, but allows doctors to accurately determine the state of the colon, whose length is up to 2 meters. Conventional diagnostic methods simply could not cope with such areas and could inevitably lead to diagnostic errors. Therefore, fibrocolonoscopy comes to the rescue - a type of diagnostic examination of the digestive tract.
Due to the fact that the device operates on a xenon or halogen lamp, this light source is considered cold and cannot burn the rectal or large intestine mucosa. In this - additional safe properties of the method.
What additional examination methods are needed for fibrocolonoscopy?
Before you apply this method, sometimes you need an x-ray examination, it is done for the colon. This method is called irrigoscopy. If fibrocolonoscopy is also needed, it is performed two days after the irrigoscopy.
How does fibrocolonoscopy work?
For this method of diagnosis, anesthesia is not needed, because the method is practically painless. Fibrocolonoscopy is performed as follows. First, the doctor examines the rectum by palpation. Then the fibrocolonoscope tube is inserted into the person through the anus. It is slowly moved throughout the rectum (hence the flexible flagella). Then air is supplied to the fibrocolonoscope. This is done in order to straighten the folds of the rectum and better see everything that happens in it.
At this time, the person may feel a little discomfort in the form of bloating and need for defecation. If the person has fissures in the anus, the test can be painful, in which case local anesthesia is used.
Doctors do the necessary examination, if necessary - pinching tissues or removing polyps. Then the tube is slowly removed.
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How often can fibrocolonoscopy be performed?
Depending on whether the patient has a propensity for cancer, fibrocolonoscopy is performed once every 3 years, 5 years, or 10 years. Statistics show that the risk of cancer in 80% of cases develops due to polyps in the rectum and colon. Therefore, in the presence of polyps, it is better to diagnose the alimentary tract using fibrocolonoscopy 1 time in 3 years. This results from the fact that the malignant tumor develops from a polyp just during this particular time.
Sometimes fibrocolonoscopy is performed once a year. This happens in cases when during the first fibrocolonoscopy session polyps are not detected, but their presence is suspected. If polyps are not more than 10 mm, they may not be detected by fibrocolonoscopy in 6-15% of cases. Therefore, it is necessary to re-examination after a year. If after a year polyps are not detected, a fibrocolonoscopy procedure can be carried out as standard - once every three years.
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How to behave after the examination?
The procedure is simple, so immediately after it you can drink and eat. If gas has accumulated in the intestines and the patient feels that the stomach is full, you need to take 8 tablets of activated charcoal - black or white. It can be diluted with 100 milliliters of pure boiled water.
3-4 hours after fibrocolonoscopy, it is desirable to lie on the stomach, rising to the needs of the toilet.
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