Colonoscopy at a tertiary healthcare facility in Southwest Nigeria: Spectrum of indications and colonic abnormalities

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Colonoscopy is considered the gold standard for diagnosing structural colonic diseases. It is safe and effective both for diagnosis and therapeutic interventions. This study was carried out to evaluate the pattern of indications and spectrum of colonic disease at a tertiary healthcare facility in Southwest Nigeria. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All consenting patients who were referred for colonoscopy were recruited into the study. A proforma was used to record information such as biodata of the patients, indications for the procedure, and the findings at colonoscopy. RESULTS: There were 250 patients, comprising 130 (52.0%) males and 120 (48.0%) females, with a male to female ratio of 1.1:1. The mean age of the patients was 57.9 ± 14.2 years with a range of 15–90 years. The most common indication for colonoscopy was hematochezia 85 (34.0%), others were abdominal pain 46 (18.4%), suspected colonic cancer 27 (10.8%), constipation 27 (10.8%), and chronic diarrhea 22 (8.8%). Sixty-five (26%) patients had normal colonoscopy while various abnormalities were detected in 185 (74%) patients. The most common abnormalities were colonic polyps (23.2%), hemorrhoids (20.8%), diverticulosis (14.8%), colorectal tumor (12.1%), and colitis (4.0%). CONCLUSION: Colonoscopy is an effective means of diagnosing colonic diseases and that the diagnostic yield could be high if the indication were appropriate. The most common indication in our practice was hematochezia, and the most frequent diagnosis was colonic polyps.