Abstract:

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic value of colonoscopy in patients with nonspecific abdominal pain Patients and Methods: A prospective observational study was performed at the department of general surgery between March 2006 and March 2009. All patients with abdominal pain (n: 2.604) were evaluated carefully. After a detailed anamnesis, physical examination, laboratory and radiological evaluation, the patients with nonspecific abdominal pain were invited for a colonoscopic examination. Results: Colon cancer was detected in three of the patients aged 59, 63 and 68 years old. Other nine had pedunculated polyps with dysplasia in three of them. Neither had pedicle invasion. Millimetric hyperplastic polyps were detected in 16 other patients. A hundred and ninety eight patients had colonic diverticula. Seventeen of the 25 patients with polyps and 127 of the patients with diverticula were over age 50 years. Conclusion: The value of colonoscopic examination is still controversial in patients with nonspecific abdominal pain. Although the detection rate of malignant and pre-malignant lesions are low, the high detection rate of diverticula and the low complication rate due to the procedure are in favour of colonoscopic examination in these patients.

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