Complications of colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy
| Rate/1000 procedures | No of cases per year in a UK national screening study of once only screening at age 60 years | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | F | C | F | ||
| C, colonoscopy; F, flexible sigmoidoscopy. | |||||
| Some of the data are extrapolated from the FS trial19; colonoscopy rates from standard texts. | |||||
| Assuming 572 000 people are aged 60 years in the UK; 50% responding to an invitational letter (enrichment), subsequently being eligible, with 60% actually attending the screening test. A total of 171 600 cases would be undergoing the screening test at the age of 60 years; 5% of those with flexible sigmoidoscopy would need colonoscopic intervention (8580); 5% of colonoscopies would need completion double contrast barium enema (8580). | |||||
| Respiratory depression | 5 | — | 858 | 0 | |
| Severe haemorrhage | 3 | 0.3 | 514 | 51 | |
| Perforation | 1 | 0.025 | 171 | 4 | |
| Mortality | 0.3 | 0.15 | 51 | 25 | |