title: The usefulness of colonoscopy as a screening test for detecting colorectal polyps.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Internal Medicine Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Dae Han
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seok Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Kui Sung
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Ho Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Su Cheol
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Chul Ju
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: You Cheoul
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D003111:Colonic Polyps / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003113:Colonoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007417:Intestinal Polyps / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012002:Rectal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017678:Sex Distribution