RSS Feeds
Sigmoidoscopy and Bacteremia
- GERALD D. GOLDMAN, M.D.;
- SCOTT A. MILLER, M.D.;
- DONALD S. FURMAN, M.D.;
- DANA BROCK, M.D.;
- JOHN L. RYAN, M.D., PH.D.; and
- RICHARD W. MCCALLUM, M.D.
- Veterans Administration Medical Center; West Haven, CT, 06516; and Yale University; New Haven, CT 06510
Excerpt
To the editor: Flexible sigmoidoscopy is now an established, safe method of examining the rectum, sigmoid, and distal descending colon. This method shows two to three times more bowel than the rigid sigmoidoscopy technique (while taking approximately twice as long), and results in a five- to sixfold increase in abnormalities detected (1). The flexible procedure is done with the same bowel preparation as rigid sigmoidoscopy but the outside diameter of the flexible scope is only 14 mm compared to 22 mm for the rigid scope.
Bacteremia is a complication of a number of gastrointestinal procedures (2-4). During rigid sigmoidoscopy, a
