Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
What you can expect
By Mayo Clinic staff
During the exam
During a flexible sigmoidoscopy exam, you'll wear a gown but likely no other garments. Sedation isn't usually necessary.
You'll begin the exam lying on your side on the exam table, usually with your knees drawn toward your chest. The doctor will insert a sigmoidoscope into your rectum. The sigmoidoscope contains a fiber-optic light and a channel that allows the doctor to pump air into your colon. The air inflates the colon, which provides a better view of the lining of the colon. When the scope is moved or air is introduced, you may feel abdominal cramping or the urge to have a bowel movement.
The sigmoidoscope also contains a tiny video camera at its tip. The camera sends images to an external monitor so that the doctor can study the inside of your colon. The doctor can also insert instruments through the channel to take tissue samples (biopsies).
A flexible sigmoidoscopy exam typically takes about 15 minutes. It may require slightly more time if biopsies are taken.
After the exam
After the exam, you may have mild abdominal discomfort. You may feel bloated or pass gas for a few hours as you clear the air from your colon. Walking may help relieve any discomfort. You'll be able to return to your usual diet and activities right away.
You may also notice a small amount of blood with your first bowel movement after the exam. Usually this isn't cause for alarm. Consult your doctor if you continue to pass blood or blood clots or if you have persistent abdominal pain or a fever of 100 F (37.8 C) or higher.
- Corbett JV. Laboratory Tests and Diagnostic Procedures with Nursing Diagnoses. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall; 2008:743.
- Levin B, et al. Screening and surveillance for the early detection of colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyps, 2008: A joint guideline from the American Cancer Society, the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, and the American College of Radiology. Gastroenterology. 2008;134:1570.
- Fletcher RH. Screening strategies in patients at average risk for colorectal cancer. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 17, 2009.
- Whitlock EP, et al. Screening for colorectal cancer: A targeted, updated systematic review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2008;149:638.
- Frequently asked questions about colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_6x_Frequent_Questions_About_Colonoscopy_and_Sigmoidoscopy.asp. Accessed March 27, 2009.
- Charette A. Patient information: Flexible sigmoidoscopy. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 17, 2009.
- Flexible sigmoidoscopy. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/sigmoidoscopy/index.htm. Accessed March 17, 2009.
