If you had a positive result, this may change the way your doctor handles your case. If your colonoscopy results were negative, you will just need to continue following the screening schedule recommended by your doctor based on your age, health history, and genetic factors. What Do I Need to Know About My Future Care? We will not know for sure until the lab completes the biopsy. This is just the first level of screening the tissue will go through. It is important to remember that just because a growth looks like it might be cancerous does not mean it is the opposite is also true. Those with high-grade dysplasia look more like a precancerous growth. Polyps with low-grade dysplasia only appear to be slightly abnormal. The polyp is sent to a pathologist where it is examined under a microscope to tell you how abnormal it may be. Your colonoscopy results may include information on how any polyp removed looked grossly but it may not tell you how aggressive the polyp may be. How Do I Know If Anything Appears Cancerous? Because of the high risk of cancer associated with this type of growth, we will usually recommend more frequent screenings in the future. This does not mean your biopsy will be positive for cancer, but there is an increased risk. AdenomasĪdenomas are the type of polyp that is most likely to be precancerous. This is especially true of polyps that measure more than one centimeter. However, when we discover larger polyps or a large number of these polyps there may be an increased risk of cancer. Most polyps are small, harmless growths that do not develop into cancer. In general, there are two things to look for in your colonoscopy results that could indicate precancerous or cancerous conditions. The results are almost always benign, but because most colon cancer develops from this type of growth, this is an important step in ensuring you do not have any signs of cancer. When possible, we remove polyps during the screening and send the tissue to the lab for a biopsy. We find some type of abnormality in about a quarter of all colonoscopies, and the risk increases with age. The details in your colonoscopy report will give you a better idea of what they will be looking for if they sent tissues for biopsy. Some polyps, however, can be cancerous or precancerous. Most polyps are harmless, and your doctor probably removed it during the colonoscopy. This is very common, and not a reason to panic. If your colonoscopy results list a positive finding, this means your doctor spotted a polyp or other abnormality in the colon. This may happen if they did not get a good look at the entire colon because of residual waste, issues getting a clear picture with the camera, or other rare problems. In some cases, your doctor could recommend repeating the exam sooner than expected. They may include information on when to schedule your future screening. Since there were no abnormalities, there is little else to discuss as far as your results go. It means the doctor found nothing but healthy colon during the procedure. Having a negative colonoscopy is the best possible outcome. Overall, there are two general findings: Negative result
#Colonoscopy findings full#
Reviewing Your ResultsĪfter the sedatives are out of your system and you are thinking clearly again, you can review your full results. This depends on a number of factors, but it may be a couple of days to a week. If they removed any polyps that required a biopsy, they will likely tell you when they expect the results.
#Colonoscopy findings download#
In general, you can expect your preliminary results to sound something like “your bowel looks healthy, with no sign of disease” or “we found a few small polyps and were able to remove them.” These results are meant to give you a broad idea of how things went.īecause they are brief and straightforward – and because you still have the sedating drugs in your blood stream – you probably will not have many questions about what you are told before you leave the hospital, clinic, or surgery center on the day of your procedure.Your doctor may send you home with printed images and results, or these may be available for download from a secured Web server or app. We know this conversation may be fuzzy in your memory, or you may not remember it at all because of the sedatives we gave you. Your physician will likely brief you on the preliminary results of your colonoscopy in the recovery room after your procedure. Having a general understanding of what you are reading is important. While we always recommend discussing your results with your doctor after your sedatives wear off, we know it is unrealistic to tell you not to take a peek. With technology today, however, many patients have the opportunity to review their results in detail after the procedure but before they see their doctor again. In the past, you had to talk to your doctor to receive your colonoscopy results.
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