Other Tests
In addition to a colonoscopy, there are other GI tests that may be ordered for you.
A rectal exam is the physical examination of the rectum, the last few inches of the bowel, just above the anus. You will need to remove or pull down your clothing from the waist down and lay on your side on an exam table with your knees pulled up toward your chest.
The first thing your doctor will do is conduct a visual examination of the anus and surrounding area to check for any rash, fissure, fistula, or as external or prolapsed hemorrhoids. An anoscope, a tube about three inches in length with light attached, might be used to do a visual examination of the rectum.
A sigmoidoscope is a slender, hollow tube that is placed inside the colon. The scope has a tiny video camera that sends pictures to a TV screen and allows the physician to look at the inside of the large intestine from the rectum through the last part of the colon, called the sigmoid. It might be used to look for the cause of diarrhea, abdominal pain, or constipation, as well as early signs of cancer in the descending colon and rectum. It takes about fifteen minutes and doesn’t usually require any medication.
An upper endoscopy uses a thin, flexible tube (endoscope) to look at the lining of the esophagus, stomach, and upper small intestine (duodenum). The procedure might be used to discover the reason for swallowing difficulties, nausea, vomiting, reflux, bleeding, indigestion, abdominal pain, or chest pain.
Before undergoing a test or procedure, you will be asked to give informed consent. The form is signed by the patient after the health care provider explains and describes the nature of the problem, alternative treatments, anticipated benefits of treatments, risks and side effects of treatments, and the consequences of no treatment.
During an intestinal endoscopy, the doctor inserts a tube into your small intestine and performs a biopsy. This procedure allows the physician to see abnormalities, like inflammation or bleeding, that do not generally show up well on X-rays. Just like during a colonoscopy, the physician passes instruments through the scope to treat bleeding abnormalities or remove samples of tissue (biopsy) for further tests.
