A colonoscopy is an effective procedure that examines the entire inner lining of your bowel (colon and rectum) to remove polyps (abnormal growths of tissue), inject bleeding blood vessels, and take biopsies if required.

A colonoscopy can be used to diagnose bowel cancer if present and various other diseases.

During your colonoscopy, Montserrat’s Specialist will spend time analysing your bowel lining, looking for changes to the normal landscape. They will remove anything that looks suspicious, like polyps because they can cause bleeding or even become cancerous.

Although the majority of polyps are benign (not cancerous), a small percentage may contain an area of cancer or develop into cancer if not removed. Removal of polyps is an important step towards the prevention of cancer, which is why it’s crucial to identify and remove them at an early stage.

A colonoscopy is usually recommended if you have symptoms that require further investigating, including:

• Stomach discomfort or bowel complications
• Rectal bleeding, abdominal pain or bloating
• Colonic polyps
• Difficulty swallowing
• Unplanned weight loss
• Chronic constipation or diarrhoea
• Family history of Bowel Cancer

A colonoscopy may also be recommended to investigate or confirm conditions such as:

• Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD): Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis
• Other types of Colitis
• Bowel Cancer (Colon Cancer)

You will meet with one of our experienced nurses for a prep appointment. They’ll guide you through the entire process, provide you with your bowel preparation kit, and give you clear instructions.

A colonoscopy is performed using a colonoscope (a long, thin flexible tube equipped with a mini video camera and fibre optic lighting) to examine your lower gastrointestinal tract.

It is a quick and generally painless procedure, that takes approximately 30 minutes and is performed under general anaesthetic.

Complications are rare as Montserrat’s Gastroenterologists and General Surgeons are experienced in performing colonoscopies. We have a duty of care to inform you of the potential side effects, although rare, which include:

• Reaction or sensitivity to sedative medication
• Perforation of the lining of the bowel (about one in 2000-5000 patients)
• Bleeding (about one in 300-500 patients) 
• Infection of the bowel, blood and other organs
• Injury to the spleen

Very rare risks include:

• Heart attacks, cardiac arrests, blood clots, and breathing problems

The most accurate method to examine a person’s colon (ie. large intestine) is through a colonoscopy. Whilst there is a small risk, abnormalities may not be detected as no test is perfect, Montserrat has a robust quality management system to ensure our colonoscopies are performed to the highest standard using high quality diagnostic medical equipment.

Montserrat’s Specialists are no gap Doctors. Patients with adequate private health insurance pay no additional out-of-pocket expense other than their policy excess or co-payment (if applicable). Sometimes the Anasthetist fee may be charged separately.

Self-insured patients can obtain a competitive, all-inclusive quote on request by contacting our bookings team on:

P: (07) 3833 6701
E: bookings@montserrat.com.au