Prone positioning of obese patients for colonoscopy results in shortened cecal intubation times: a randomized trial.

Background: Obesity is a risk factor for colorectal cancer, and colonoscopy can be technically challenging in obese patients. It has been proposed (with little supporting data) that prone positioning of obese patients might facilitate a difficult colonoscopy.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine if starting colonoscopy in the prone position for obese patients decreases cecal intubation times.

The rate of post-polypectomy bleeding for patients on uninterrupted clopidogrel therapy during elective colonoscopy is acceptably low.

Background: We do not routinely discontinue clopidogrel before colonoscopy because we have judged the cardiovascular risks of that practice to exceed the risks of post-polypectomy bleeding (PPB).

Aims: The aim of this study was to compare the rates of PPB for clopidogrel users and non-users.

Methods: We performed a retrospective, case-control study of patients who had colonoscopic polypectomy at our VA hospital from July 2008 through December 2009.