A sigmoidoscope is a specialized endoscope, a thin, flexible lighted tube with a camera at the tip that your doctor uses to visualize the area. The procedure is similar to a colonoscopy, but the sigmoidoscope does not reach as far as the colonoscope.
Your colon helps your body absorb water and nutrients from the food you eat. It’s also where your stool is formed. The last third of your descending colon is called the sigmoid colon. It’s connected to your anus by your rectum.
A colonoscopy helps doctors examine the entire colon. But sometimes only the sigmoid colon warrants close inspection. That’s when a doctor will recommend a sigmoidoscopy.
A sigmoidoscopy, also called a flexible sigmoidoscopy, is a procedure that lets your doctor look inside your sigmoid colon by using a flexible tube with a light on it. It helps your doctor check for:
Typically, pieces of tissue will be taken as samples to check for any abnormal cell changes.
A flexible sigmoidoscope is used for this, the end of which consists of a thin, flexible tube with a small, illuminated video camera at the end. This end is slowly inserted through the patient's anus to view the inner lining of the rectum and sigmoid colon.
Reunión virtual con el Dr. Julian Triviño (Colombia)
