Colonoscopy as a routine preoperative procedure for carcinoma of the colon

Ninety patients with cancer of the colon who had total colonoscopy in the perioperative period have been reviewed. Almost half of the examinations revealed positive findings, three being unsuspected synchronous carcinomas in an area that would not have been resected with the proposed primary cancer. In addition, 79 polyps in 36 patients, the majority of which were also undetected by barium enema, were found and removed at colonoscopy. Thus, patients with carcinoma of the colon, in view of its tendency to be associated with synchronous polypoid disease, should have colonoscopy in the perioperative period. Whenever possible, this should be carried out preoperatively to confirm the diagnosis, to remove suspected or unsuspected polyps, and to detect unsuspected synchronous carcinoma.