The usefulness of colonoscopy as a screening test for detecting colorectal polyps.

Background/aims: Colonic polyps are the most common lesions encountered during screening colonoscopy. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of colonoscopy to detect colonic polyps in adults.

Methodology: From January 2003 to September 2005, a total of 4,629 adults underwent colonoscopic screening as a part of a health evaluation program. We analyzed the completed questionnaires, and the colonoscopic and pathologic findings.

Results: Complete colonic evaluation was possible in 4,491 (97.0%) subjects, and 804 (17.9%) had adenomatous polyps, including 153 subjects (3.4%) with advanced adenomas. There were no significant complications such as bowel perforation or massive bleeding requiring transfusion in relation to the procedure. There was a trend toward an increased prevalence of adenomatous polyps with age. Among the subjects with polyps, 72.1% of the subjects had distal polyps and the relative risk for proximal polyp, according to the distal findings, was 5.4 (95% CI: 4.5-6.3) for adenomatous polyp, 5.1 (95% CI 3.6-7.0) for advanced adenoma as compared to the finding of no adenomatous polyp.

Conclusions: Colonoscopy performed by experienced colonoscopists as a screening test is feasible for detecting subjects with colorectal polyps.