What are the risks of a colonoscopy?
The most common and important risks of colonoscopy are the risk of missing something, the risk of a perforation, the risk of bleeding, the risk of diverticulitis, and the risk of heart or lung problems related to sedation. Colonoscopy performed by an experienced gastroenterologist is the most and accurate means of detecting abnormalities such as colon cancer or colon polyps, but no test is 100% accurate in this regard. Possible side-effects from colonoscopy include mild cramping, abdominal pressure and/or a small amount of bleeding. Serious risks with colonoscopy are very uncommon. These may include, but are not limited to, heart or breathing problems which occur in 0.02% of exams, excessive bleeding occur in 0.09% of exams, a perforation, or tear in the colon can occur 0.12% exams or death which is extremely rare, occurring is less that 0.006% of exams. If a polyp is removed, the risk of perforation occurs in 0.3% of exams and bleeding in 1.7% of exams. These complications may require
