Colonoscopy

What the risks are:

• bowel perforation, requiring an operation to repair the hole (less than 2 out of 1,000 tests)
• heavy or persistent bleeding from biopsy or polypectomy sites (1 out of 1,000 tests)
• adverse reaction to sedative medication causing respiratory depression or low blood pressure (4 out of 10,000 tests)
• infection requiring antibiotic therapy (very rare)
• nausea, vomiting, bloating, and rectal irritation caused by oral (by mouth) purgatives

Special considerations:

You must sign a informed consent form. Several hours rest is recommended after the test. To replace fluids lost because of laxatives and fasting, drink plenty of liquids after the test.