(2007-01-05) Colonscopy Effectiveness

A colonscopy doesn't necessarily find what it's supposed to - Medical Error. The study, of 12 highly experienced board-certified gastroenterologists in private practice, found some were 10 times better than others at finding adenomas, the polyps that can turn into cancer. One factor distinguishing the physicians who found many adenomas from those who found few was the amount of time spent examining the colon... The Rockford group concluded that doctors should take at least eight minutes to withdraw the endoscope... Last spring, a task force for the American College of Gastroenterology and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy recommended that doctors track their polyp-detection rate. On average, they should find precancerous polyps in at least 25 percent of men and 15 percent of women 50 and older. But most have not adopted the recommendation. Still, Dr. Douglas J Robertson... said it did not hurt to ask for a doctor's detection rate. "If you are met with a total blank stare," Dr. Robertson said, "that tells you the doctor is really not clued in to quality issues and is not listening at national meetings."