title: Continued assessment of flexible sigmoidoscopy in a family practice residency.
abstract: The UCLA Family Practice Residency continues to use 60-cm flexible sigmoidoscopy in the care of patients. Between July 1980 and June 1983, 450 patients received an examination with the 60-cm flexible sigmoidoscope. One or more adenomatous polyps were detected in 21 patients. Adenocarcinoma was found in five patients. Four patients were found to have a villous adenoma, and four patients were determined to have inflammatory bowel disease. Of the 34 discrete lesions, 32 percent, 41 percent, and 27 percent were located between 0 and 20 cm, 21 and 35 cm, and 36 and 60 cm, respectively, from the anus. No complications were encountered. Sixty-four percent of the examinations were done by a family practice resident supervised by a full-time faculty member. The remaining 36 percent of the examinations were performed by full-time faculty. The overall detection rate for significant pathology was 8.0 percent. Most pathology by far was found in symptomatic patients. These results validate the safety and viability of 60-cm flexible sigmoidoscopy when performed by properly trained family physicians and family practice residents-in-training.
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D000236:Adenoma / Q000175:diagnosis; D000368:Aged; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D007417:Intestinal Polyps / Q000175:diagnosis; D008875:Middle Aged; D012002:Rectal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D020694:Sigmoidoscopes; D012812:Sigmoidoscopy / Q000592:standards