Outpatient flexible fibreoptic sigmoidoscopy, diagnostic yield and the value of glucagon

One hundred patients had flexible fibreoptic sigmoidoscopy in an outpatient clinic after preparation with a phosphate enema but without sedation. Patients were randomized to receive 1 mg of glucagon intravenously or a matching placebo. The discomfort of the patients and the ease of the procedure were similar in both groups. Nine patients were excluded from the final analysis as they had low rectal or anal lesions. In the remaining 91 patients, abnormalities were found in 27 (29.6 per cent) including 16 adenomatous polyps and 1 carcinoma. Only 3 lesions were below 20 cm and might have been easily visualized using a rigid sigmoidoscope.