Testing & Diagnosis

Colonoscopy is a very important test. It checks for cancer and also prevents colorectal cancer. That’s because polyps your doctor may find during your colonoscopy can be removed at the same time. Those polyps can turn into cancer if they are not removed.

Let’s Talk About the “Ick” Factor

You may have heard things about colonoscopy — that the preparation for the test is unpleasant or that the procedure is uncomfortable. It’s fair to say no one enjoys a colonoscopy, but we want to assure you most people report their anxiety beforehand was unnecessary.

We Make You Comfortable

Our experienced colonoscopy team members make sure you are comfortable during the procedure. You receive sedation, so you’re awake, but somewhat sleepy. You may not even remember the procedure. If you feel anything during the procedure, it’s typically only mild cramping as your doctor pushes air into your body or moves the scope.

Frequent Bathroom Trips Are a Small Price to Pay

The day before your procedure you must change your diet. You will need to drink a laxative solution to completely empty your system. We try to make this process a little more convenient:

• Nurses provide you with written instructions.
• We mail you or call in your prescriptions for the laxatives.
• We call you beforehand to answer questions in any language.

Most people who have a colonoscopy agree the preparation the day before is worse than the procedure itself. You must be near a restroom when you drink the solution, and you’ll spend a few hours going to the restroom often as the laxative takes effect.

Frequent trips to the bathroom for a few hours are a small price to pay for having a test that checks for colorectal cancer and prevents it by removing precancerous polyps. University Health doctors who perform colonoscopies have a very high rate of detecting cancerous polyps. You can be sure the time and energy you put into this screening is worth it.

Check Colonoscopy Off Your To-Do List

The University team strives to schedule your screening colonoscopy within 30 days of your call. We offer colonoscopies at three locations.

We do whatever we can to make your colonoscopy easy and accessible — from the time you call us to the day you have your procedure.

Your doctor passes an endoscope equipped with an ultrasound transducer into your stomach through your mouth. This allows your doctor to see your pancreas, liver, gallbladder, upper intestines and the areas around them. This state-of-the-art technology allows our endoscopy team to detect problems and take tissue samples through the endoscope for examination.

EUS requires extensive experience and skill to help patients get an accurate diagnoses. Our advanced endoscopists have performed hundreds of EUS procedures and are among the most experienced in the region.

Endoscopy is a nonsurgical procedure that uses a flexible tube with a light and camera to allow your doctor to see inside your digestive tract.

The tube, called an endoscope, checks for a condition of your:

• Biliary system or gallbladder
• Digestive or metabolic system
• Esophagus
• Stomach
• Intestines, colon or rectum
• Liver
• Pancreas