Flexible Sigmoidoscopy in Hattiesburg, MS

You will need to arrive at our Digestive Diseases Center 1 – 1.5 hours in advance of your flexible sigmoidoscopy exam. This is to allow you time to complete all of the required patient forms and get ready for the procedure. You'll be told to put on a hospital gown. In most cases, no IV will be started, as sedation is usually not needed with this exam. You may be hooked up to equipment that will permit the staff and provider to monitor your pulse, heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, oxygen levels, and electrocardiogram throughout and after the exam.

Once in the exam room, you will be directed to lie on your left side on the stretcher. The physician will carry out an exam of your rectum. The sigmoidoscope will then be slowly inserted just inside the rectum. The scope will then slowly advance through the sigmoid colon. A tiny amount of air will be injected by way of the scope into the colon to aid the physician in seeing. Any fluid still in the colon after the preparation can be washed and removed by the scope. Depending on the results of the exam, your gastroenterologist may conduct additional procedures during the exam, including biopsies, removal of polyps, and steps to manage bleeding. At the conclusion of the exam, much of the remaining fluid and air will be suctioned out of the colon via the scope. Depending on the results, the procedure takes approximately 5 – 15 minutes.

Since sedation is not usually necessary, you should be able to switch back to your normal clothes and leave the endoscopy unit shortly after the exam. Assuming sedation is not used, you'll be permitted to drive and perform your usual activities. Most people are free to eat and drink regularly after their discharge from the endoscopy unit, but individualized instructions regarding activity, eating, and medications will be provided before discharge. Following the exam, the doctor and/or nurse will go over the findings of the procedure with you. You will also be sent home with a written report. You should be alerted of any biopsy results in seven days or less.

Ordinarily, sigmoidoscopy is quite a safe procedure. All in all, complications are observed in less than 1 percent of patients. Most of these complications are not life-threatening, but should one present itself, you may require hospitalization and surgery. Prior to the procedure, a consent form will be reviewed with you by the Hattiesburg GI Associates, PLLC staff. Should any concerns or questions arise, these can be brought up to and addressed by your specialist prior to beginning the procedure.

Bleeding is a possibility with the removal of polyps and biopsies. Again, significant bleeding — which could require hospitalization or a blood transfusion — is highly uncommon. Still, bleeding may occur at the time of the exam or up to two weeks after the test in the event that a polyp is removed.

Puncture or perforation of the large intestine can also take place. This may be noticed during the procedure, or it may not be apparent until a short time later. In most cases, a puncture will necessitate surgery and hospitalization. This is a rare complication, even when polyps are extracted. It is very important that you reach out to the physician's office promptly if symptoms present after the procedure like increasing pain in the abdomen, fever, or bleeding.

Just like any other test, a sigmoidoscopy is not always flawless. There is a slight, accepted chance that tissue abnormalities including (but not limited to) cancer and polyps can be missed during the procedure. It is imperative to remain vigilant and follow up with your physicians as instructed to make them aware of any new or persistent symptoms. Please speak with your Hattiesburg GI Associates, PLLC specialist if you have any concerns or questions.