title: Colonoscopy in central Jamaica: results and implications.
abstract: The aim of this report was to determine the outcome of all patients subjected to colonoscopy at an outpatient medical facility in central Jamaica. A copy of the colonoscopy report of each consecutive patient during the period March 2007 to April 2011 was entered into a database and analysed. One thousand two hundred and fifty patients were identified with a mean age of 60 years and 56.5% were female. The most common indication for colonoscopy was bleeding (28%) but constipation (15%) and screening (11%) were also important. Caecal intubation was achieved in 96% of the group. While 30% of the group had normal findings, 32% had diverticulosis and 23% had haemorrhoids; importantly 10% had carcinomas and 11% had adenomas. Adenomas were detected in 13% of the screened patients. The most important predictor of an abnormal colonoscopy was a history of bleeding. The perforation rate was 0.24% with no perforations occurring in the latter 650 cases.
authors: Department of Surgery, Radiology, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Faculty of Medical Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica, West Indies. joseph_plummer@yahoo.com
authors: J M
authors: JM
authors: Plummer
authors: D I
authors: DI
authors: Mitchell
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Ferron-Boothe
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Meeks-Aitken
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Reid
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002648:Child; D003113:Colonoscopy; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003248:Constipation / Q000209:etiology; D004240:Diverticulum / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000209:etiology*; D006484:Hemorrhoids / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D007563:Jamaica; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012007:Rectum; D055815:Young Adult