What is a "colonoscopy"?

What is a "colonoscopy"?

A colonoscopy is a test that is done by a physician, usually a gastro-enterologist or surgeon who inserts a scope which has a small camera and a small light on the end of it into the rectum and up through the colon. You can see the sides of the colon to evaluate for any abnormalities, polyps, early cancers or any full cancers which then, through the small hole in the scope can be biopsied and the tissue can be analyzed by the pathologist to see if it is indeed cancer or a benign polyp. For a colonoscopy, before somebody is ready to undergo one, it's important that they have an appropriate bowel preparative regimen. That means that they drink liquids that are laxatives that cause them to go to the bathroom so that their intestine, in particular their colon, becomes clean.