Benefits

• The risks associated with a colonoscopy do not outweigh the benefits. Colonoscopies are often the only way to detect serious conditions such as colon cancer. People with digestive issues and those with a family history of diseases such as colon cancer, growth of polyps and inflammatory bowel disease will find that a colonoscopy is their best diagnostic tool, leading to treatment.
  
  

Types

• The risks of a colonoscopy vary. One of the most serious is a perforation of the bowel, which occurs when the colonoscope punctures a spot in the bowel wall that is weak. The air that inflates the colon can also precipitate a tear in the wall. Bleeding from the removal of a polyp found during a colonoscopy is another risk, but any bleeding usually takes care of itself and needs no action. A condition known as postpolypectomy syndrome occurs when a polyp is removed and the patient develops a fever later on along with an infection and pain in the abdomen. This happens only in rare instances. Problems can arise from the use of sedatives and anesthesia, as many people elect to be asleep during their colonoscopy.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• If the wall of the bowel is perforated, which is the worst thing that can happen during a colonoscopy, it is of the utmost importance to repair it surgically and treat the patient with antibiotics. Left unattended, such a tear will result in peritonitis, a massive infection of the abdominal cavity that can be fatal. Be sure that an experienced doctor who specializes in colonoscopies does the procedure. Have it done in or near a hospital in case there is a medical emergency.
  
  

Considerations

• The process of cleaning the bowel before a colonoscopy is much more unpleasant than the colonoscopy itself. Patients are given a choice of different products that will make them go to the bathroom with great urgency. This is taken the night before and in the morning of the test so that when the colonoscopy is performed the next day, there will be minimum waste products in the intestine.
  
  

Expert Insight

• Complications can occur during the bowel-cleaning prior to the colonoscopy. If an individual has an obstruction that has not been diagnosed or the intestines have contracted in one spot of the digestive system, then the procedure can cause great pain. The pressure of trying to force the cleaning solution and waste matter through can be overwhelming. The chance that the bowel could rupture exists under such circumstances.