Why would someone get a sigmoidoscopy over a colonoscopy?
I want to have my colon screened, however, I don’t want to be sedated. Would a sigmoidoscopy be the right procedure for me?
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You understand and agree that use of the Website does not in any way create or establish a physician-patient privilege or physician-patient relationship between you and any Medical Professional Member. You should recognize that the information provided on the Website (including past questions and answers and articles posted on the site) is provided for your general information. These materials should not be relied on as medical advice and reading and reviewing them is not a substitute for direct consultation with a medical professional about a specific medical problem.
Without limiting the foregoing, you understand and agree that submitting a Free Question or receiving an answer to a Free Question does not in any way create or establish an physician-patient relationship between you and any Medical Professional Member, or between you and us. The information and answers provided in response to Free Questions is intended to be generic medical information, not medical advice, and is based upon the very limited information provided by you in a Free Question. Specific medical advice can only be given with full knowledge of all of the facts and circumstances of your situation. If you are currently being treated by a doctor, that doctor is the best person to give you advice about a medical case or medical matter. Under no circumstances should the information obtained on this site be used to make decisions about the quality of service provided by a doctor or about the proper course of a medical matter.
A sigmoidoscopy does not require sedation and is still accepted for colorectal cancer screening. However, a sigmoidoscopy would only examine the left side of the colon (not the entire colon) and therefore polyps or cancers beyond the reach of a sigmoidoscope would be missed. The gold standard currently is a full colonoscopy.
A sigmoidoscopy can be done unsedated, but unfortunately you dont see the entire colon, and can miss right sided colon cancers, which are very prevalent. If you dont want sedation or cant have sedation, the more appropriate alternative may be a CT colonography.
According to the guidelines, a sigmoidoscopy is adequate. However, it is clear that a colonoscopy is superior. If you are concerned about sedation, talk to your doctor about an unsedated colonoscopy