However, many people think colonoscopy is more painful and choose sigmoidoscopy for screening. However, according to experience in a self-payed health check-up center,unsedated total colonoscopy is not inferior or may be better than unsedated sigmoidoscopy in terms of pain and patients’ acceptance.

Sigmoidoscopy is less invasive than colonoscopy and carries a lower risk of the colon being perforated, which may make it more acceptable as a screening test to some patients,” said Barnett Kramer, M.D., director of NCI’s Division of Cancer Prevention.

What’s the Difference Between a Colonoscopy and a Flexible Sigmoidoscopy? A colonoscopy takes a thorough look at the whole of the large bowel, up to the end of the small bowel; while a flexible sigmoidoscopy is a short test which only examines the rectum and sigmoid colon.

Sigmoidoscopy exam A tiny video camera at the tip of the tube allows the doctor to view the inside of the rectum, the sigmoid colon and most of the descending colon — just under the last 2 feet (about 50 centimeters) of the large intestine.

A colonoscopy allows an examination of the entire colon (1200–1500 mm in length).

Is a sigmoidoscopy painful? You may feel some discomfort but not pain. You will probably not have anesthesia, but your doctor may give you medication to help you relax and make you sleepy.

Most people feel back to normal after 24 hours. After your flexible sigmoidoscopy, you may feel some discomfort from trapped air. This should settle down within a few hours. To help pass the wind, we suggest, if possible, that you walk around, drink warm drinks or peppermint water or that you eat some peppermints.

A sigmoidoscopy may also be used to take a tissue sample or biopsy. And it can be used to remove polyps or hemorrhoids (swollen veins in your rectum and anus). It is also a screening test for colon cancer and rectal cancer.

A flexible sigmoidoscopy is generally not painful, though may be mildly uncomfortable. There might be a slight pinch if the doctor removes tissue for biopsy. Most people will be able to resume normal diet and activities immediately after the procedure.

Most people stop moving their bowels about 2 – 3 hours after finishing the solution. People are different and some have liquid movements until the time of the procedure. The instrument used during the colonoscopy will suction out any liquid left in the bowel. You will not have an “accident” during the procedure.

Sigmoidoscopy examines the lining of the lower third of the large intestine (the rectum and sigmoid colon). A flexible sigmoidoscopy exam can confirm a diagnosis of ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease of the lower part of the colon, the presence of inflammation, or the source of bleeding.

The flexible sigmoidoscopy procedure usually takes between five and 15 minutes. It can be done by a specially trained doctor or nurse. You don’t usually need to have an anaesthetic or sedative for a flexible sigmoidoscopy. Although the procedure can be uncomfortable at first, it isn’t usually painful.

During a flexible sigmoidoscopy, you remain awake and lie on your left side. Usually, no sedative is necessary. Your doctor will: Insert the lubricated sigmoidoscope through the rectum and into the anus and large intestine.

Follow a clear liquid diet Don’t eat any solid foods. Make sure to drink plenty of liquids other than water, coffee, and tea. This helps to make sure you get enough calories and if an important part of your preparation for your procedure.

Will I receive sedation? Flexible sigmoidoscopy is a short test and most people will remain comfortable without sedative drugs or pain killers. If you are particularly anxious about the test, we can provide intravenous sedation or Entonox gas.

They will insert the sigmoidoscope through the rectum and pass it into your sigmoid colon. The doctor will use a small amount of air to expand the colon to see the colon walls. You may feel mild cramping during the procedure.

DO NOT eat anything for six hours before your appointment or drink anything for four hours before. You may have small sips of water for up to two hours before. Wear loose-fitting clothes on the day of the test.

At Yale Medicine, anesthesiologists caring for patients who want deep sedation for their colonoscopy typically use a drug called propofol. “It is a short-acting anesthetic that has the advantage of wearing off relatively quickly,” Dr. Rock explains.