Does flexible sigmoidoscopy have any complications or risks?
Yes, there are. Risk is meant here as the potential for complications to occur. It is important to say that serious complications of flexible sigmoidoscopy are rare. Complications can be described as minor (mild) or major (serious): Minor complications: These complications are common, expected, do not last for long and do not cause serious harm. * They include feeling bloated after the examination because of trapped wind, feeling faint and dizzy, cold sweats and occasionally feeling sick. A close eye is kept on you in recovery and in the majority of patients these subside very quickly (15-20 minutes) or over the next 24 hours. After this time bloated ness is common and comes and goes. As long as you are passing wind and going to toilet, this will settle down. * There is a small risk of bleeding from the bottom after sigmoidoscopy. The entrance to your bottom, the anus, does have a very good blood supply and this is where piles are often found. The insertion of the camera can cause a li
