A cost accounting of routine sigmoidoscopic examinations

Proctosigmoidoscopic examinations were performed on 363 patients who had gastrointestinal but no colonic symptoms. Thirty-four, all over the age of 40, were found to have polypoid lesions, 24 of which were adenomatous. Air-contrast barium enemas were utilized to rule out higher lesions in the patients with one or more adenomatous polyps. One early carcinoma of the ascending colon was so discovered. The cost of finding an adenomatous polyp in a patient without colonic symptoms was calculated to be $523.75 and of a carcinoma $12,570.