Colonoscopies in St. Charles

Benrus Surgical performs Colonoscopies at our surgery centers in St. Louis, St. Charles, St. Peters, and O’Fallon. A Colonoscopy is an exam that we use to find changes or issues with the large intestine (colon) and rectum.

The colonoscope, a long, flexible tube is placed into the rectum, and a tiny video camera mounted at the tip of that tube will allow our doctors to see the interior of the entire colon. The scope can remove polyps or other abnormalities during the colonoscopy and take biopsies during the procedure.

You may need a Colonoscopy for several reasons. They can help our doctors determine the causes of abdominal pain, rectal bleeding, chronic constipation, chronic diarrhea and any other intestinal issues.

You could require a screening for colon cancer if you are over 50. Your doctor might recommend that you get a colonoscopy every 10 years or less in order to screen you against colon cancer.

Additional polyps that are found during the examination may warrant additional exams to reduce your risk of colon cancer.

If the Colonoscopy is negative, meaning that no abnormalities are found in the colon:

The doctor will likely recommend another colonoscopy. Generally, the recommendations are 10 years if you have no risk factors except age, five years if there were polyps present in previous exams, and a year if the tests were inconclusive.

If the Colonoscopy is positive, meaning that something was found in the colon:

While most polyps are not cancerous, some may be precancerous, and will need to be sent to a laboratory to determine their status (cancerous, noncancerous, or precancerous).
You may also be put on a more intensive schedule to ensure that you are screened properly for future problems.

Colonoscopies in St. Charles

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