An original article using statistics to more accurately predict the meaning of a positive or negative Cologuard test.
Every question you could ask about colonoscopy, answered!
So what about me? Why did I choose to get sedation? Surely I could have toughed-out the pain of the procedure, right? I truthfully think I would have been fine without sedation. However there is one thing that I've learned from being a physician who does procedures for a living: Sometimes there are unintended bad consequences of going against the standard of care.
If you read this article, you'll know more than 99% of the population about colorectal cancer. More importantly, you'll know how to prevent this deadly disease from all angles! Plus, some interesting facts about Retroflexions.com in honor of our 4th birthday!
But what if it's too late? If you're reading this while in the midst of a potentially failed bowel prep don't despair! There are many ways to salvage a bowel prep and still have a safe, high-quality colonoscopy the next day. It all depends on what time you take action; If you wait until 2 hours before the procedure is scheduled than nothing can be done, but if you're already having issues the night before you can totally recover from this and be fine. This is what I usually recommend...
The American Cancer Society (ACS) released new guidelines regarding colorectal cancer screening for the average-risk individual. The big news is that they now recommend that screening for colorectal cancer begin at age 45 rather than age 50.
How to cheat on the bowel prep for a colonoscopy and still have a successful procedure, written by a gastroenterologist.
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month continues on! However let’s face it, awareness by itself is not enough! To have an impact, we need to take action against colon cancer. We must also have the necessary tools, tactics, and training to take care of business when polyps rear their ugly head. It's a bad month to be a polyp!!!
Roughly half of all cases of colon cancer (and by extension, colon polyps) are a result of modifiable risk factors. These are the things that you can control. If we know what these risk factors are, maybe we can make better choices...
We think this process takes about 10-20 years to occur, which is a very important fact when it comes to colorectal cancer prevention. This long sequence, from adenoma to cancer, is the reason why screening can prevent colon cancer—
Now there is a new product called Eleview (Aries Pharmaceuticals) that is specifically made for endoscopic procedures requiring submucosal injection. This product is supplied in 10-mL ampules and is ready-to-use, making it much faster and more convenient to just ask for in the middle of a procedure
Why wouldn't a fellow endoscopist sent their patients for a procedure that is as effective, safer, with no significant recovery time, and far less expensive when compared to surgery?
The question of cost is a valid one, especially at the current time where health care costs seem to be spiraling out of control. Many times it seems that the outcomes gained from large health care expenditures do not justify the massive costs, or are not feasible to implement for society as a whole.
I read with interest your blog today, and then some of your other offerings. I am a rural general surgeon who has done 12,000 colonoscopies in 35 years. My question is how do we know that screening is effective at reducing mortality?
There is a lot going on this month: colon cancer awareness events, flexing for $$$, new and old blog posts, and a birthday!