The Yearly Prevalence of Findings in Endoscopy of the Lower Part of the Gastrointestinal Tract

Introduction. Endoscopy of the colon and rectum is increasingly used. Aim of the Study. All consecutive endoscopies of the colon and rectum were studied in order to assess the yearly prevalence of significant endoscopic diagnoses. Methods. All consecutive endoscopies of the colon and rectum were included. Endoscopies were done with endoscopes of Olympus. Significant endoscopic diagnoses were defined as colorectal cancer, polyps, diverticuli, large sessile polyps, and inflammatory bowel disease. Results. In 20 years a total of 24431 endoscopies were done. The yearly number of sigmoidoscopies was mean 96, range of 42–370. The number of colonoscopies was mean 1126, range of 643–1912. The number of colonoscopies significantly increased. The number of colonoscopies on request of an internist or gastroenterologist showed a slow but steady increase. Successful caecal intubation rose from 70% to 92% in 2011. Since 1996 there is a steep increase in the percentage of procedures with abnormalities. The number of cancer and polyps increased in twenty years. No great changes were seen in inflammatory bowel disease. Conclusion. Colonoscopy is a procedure with a high diagnostic yield. The number of patients with tumours rose in twenty years.