Colonoscopy and the followup of colorectal carcinoma

The colonoscopy findings in 100 patients who had had a previous resection for colorectal carcinoma are reviewed. This postoperative surveillance was aimed at discovering benign or malignant neoplastic growth within the remaining large bowel. Six patients had further carcinoma discovered at colonoscopy followup, five of these were symptomless. Twenty-eight patients had one or more adenomas. A special risk group was confirmed: patients with multiple neoplasia in the original resected specimen have over a 50% chance of further adenomas being present. This represents a worthwhile yield and colonoscopy surveillance of the remaining colon should be part of the followup programme in these patients.