Tu1063 Colonoscopy for Abdominal Pain: Is It Worth Performing?

Abstract

Colonoscopy is accepted as the gold standard imaging modality for colonic symptoms of altered bowel habit, anaemia, rectal bleeding and for the detection of colorectal cancer. Abdominal pain is a common presenting complaint in secondary care, and is generally accepted to be non-specific, with a low predictive value for significant pathology in the absence of other symptoms (altered bowel habit, bleeding). The ASGE in their guidelines for appropriate use of colonoscopy indicate that this procedure is not indicated in “Chronic, stable, irritable bowel syndrome or chronic abdominal pain”. In observed practice, however, abdominal pain seems to be a common reason for referral for colonoscopy. For an endoscopy unit to be successful and with pressures of waiting times growing it is important not to overburden this with inappropriate referrals. We hypothesize that colonoscopy performed solely for abdominal pain has a low diagnostic yield and should therefore be avoided.