Flexible sigmoidoscopy screening for asymptomatic colorectal disease in patients with and without inguinal hernia

Several studies have evaluated the diagnostic value of flexible sigmoidoscopy for screening asymptomatic patients before hernia repair. All have shown a 16% to 28% incidence of neoplastic (malignant or premalignant) lesions. None of these studies compared a similar group of asymptomatic patients without hernia to determine whether the incidence is increased in patients with hernias. We reviewed 87 consecutive cases of male surgical patients without hernia or any anorectal disease who had flexible sigmoidoscopy between June 1986 and December 1989 (group 1) and compared them with a group of hernia patients that we previously reported (group 2). Patients with stool positive for occult blood were excluded from this study. Examinations in both groups were done under the direct supervision of an attending surgeon (W.W., C.S.C., or J.K.). No significant difference was noted between group 1 and group 2 in mean age (mean 65.6 vs 59.7 years), rate of normal findings (68% vs 63%), and incidence of neoplastic lesions (14% vs 22%). All patients tolerated the procedure well, and there were no complications.