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. 1987 Jun;205(6):659–664. doi: 10.1097/00000658-198706000-00007

Screening before surgery for colon neoplasms with a flexible sigmoidoscope by surgical residents.

R J Mullins, P W Whitworth, H C Polk Jr
PMCID: PMC1493069  PMID: 3592808

Abstract

The value of flexible sigmoidoscopy to screen for colorectal neoplasms was determined in asymptomatic patients. One hundred sixty men (mean age 61 +/- 10), who denied a change in bowel habits or blood in their stools and who had guaiac-negative stools, had flexible sigmoidoscopic examinations performed by surgical residents with little previous endoscopy experience, while a staff surgeon continuously viewed the resident's progress through a teaching scope. Forty-nine benign neoplastic polyps were removed from 21% of the patients. The examination was well tolerated in 93% of these patients who received no medications. Resident endoscopists who had performed more than 15 examinations were more likely to reach 50 cm (79%) than those with less experience. The authors conclude that surgical residents are able to safely and effectively screen for colorectal neoplasms with a flexible sigmoidoscope when supervised.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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