TUESDAY, Feb. 4, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Perforation of the colon occurs twice as often during colonoscopy as it does during sigmoidoscopy.
So says an American study in the Feb. 5 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
The Columbia University-led study compared the risks of colon perforation in people aged 65 and older by analyzing a database of people who were cancer-free and had undergone at least one colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy between 1991 and 1998.
Of the 39,288 colonoscopies included in the analysis, there were 77 colon perforations. That works out to 1.96 perforations per 1,000 colonoscopies.
That compares to 31 perforations in 35,298 sigmoidoscopies, a rate of 0.88 perforations per 1,000 sigmoidoscopies.
After adjusting for factors such as age, race and gender, the researchers determined the perforation risk from sigmoidoscopy was about half that of colonoscopy.
The study also found that about 5 percent of the people who had a colon perforation died within 14 days of having their procedure.
Doctors use a colonoscopy to check the entire length of the colon for cancer or precancerous abnormalities. Sigmoidoscopy is a similar, less expensive technique that's limited to the section of the colon closest to the rectum.
More information
Here's where you can learn more about colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy.
