title: Water-aided colonoscopy.
abstract: The successful intubation of the cecum during screening or surveillance colonoscopy is vital to ensure complete mucosal inspection of the colon on withdrawal. Even when performed by an experienced endoscopist, colonoscope insertion can sometimes be challenging. Water-aided colonoscopy can be used to assist the endoscopist in navigating colons with anatomies that may be challenging owing to severe angulation or redundancy. Water-assisted colonoscopy involves the infusion of water without air and subsequent suctioning during insertion (exchange) or withdrawal (immersion or infusion). This review discusses the technique, effectiveness, safety of water-assisted colonoscopy as well as the application in sedationless endscopy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Department of Medicine, 215 North Main Street, White River Junction, VT 05009, USA; The Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth Medical, Department of Medicine, Hanover, NH 03755, USA. Electronic address: joseph.anderson@dartmouth.edu.
authors.forename: Joseph C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D002432:Cecum / Q000473:pathology*; D003106:Colon / Q000473:pathology*; D020685:Colonoscopes; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D016292:Procedural Sedation / Q000379:methods; D004867:Equipment Design / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D014867:Water / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D014867:Water
keywords: Adenoma detection; Colonoscopy; Sedation; Water immersion; Water infusion