Subjects older than 60 years with negative findings on sigmoidoscopy should still undergo colonoscopy.

Background/aims: The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of age on the prevalence of proximal clinically important lesions in subjects without any rectosigmoid neoplasm.

Methodology: The present study involved 497 patients (aged > or = 50 years old) who underwent a colonoscopy because of abdominal symptoms or positive fecal occult blood test. A proximal colon was defined as one proximal to a sigmoid colon.