Indications and contraindications of colonoscopy
1. Indications
(1) Abdominal mass, especially the left lower or right lower abdominal mass.
(2) Chronic diarrhea or change in stool habit.
(3) Unexplained progressive wasting with weakness.
(4) Blood in the stool or black stool, where lesions of the upper gastrointestinal tract have been excluded.
(5) Unexplained anemia.
(6) Metastatic adenocarcinoma of supraclavicular lymph nodes looking for a primary focus.
(7) Elevation of serum CEA.
(8) Barium enema or sigmoidoscopy to detect or suspect lesions.
(9) Preoperative whole colon examination or postoperative follow-up examination for colorectal cancer.
(10) Follow-up examination for patients with a history of adenoma.
(11) Immediate family members with a family history of colorectal cancer or adenoma.
2.Contraindications
(1)Abdominal human aneurysm.
(2)Those with symptoms of peritonitis or intestinal perforation.
(3) Those with severe heart, brain or vascular lesions.
(4) Active hemorrhagic descending colonic lesions.
(5) Acute radioactive colorectitis.
(6) Advanced cancer with pelvic metastasis or obvious ascites.
(7) Severe and extensive intestinal adhesions after abdominal or pelvic surgery.
The above contraindications are relative and should depend on the patient’s specific situation and the operator’s technical proficiency and the superiority of the equipment and instruments used for the examination.