Why doesn’t purging before a colonoscopy work?

Pourquoi la purge avant une coloscopie ne fonctionne pas ?

The elimination of waste products from the body often requires the performance of a purge. This technique is also used before doing certain tests such as colposcopy. It is therefore important to find out what this examination consists of and why it requires a purge. The same goes for the reasons why a purge sometimes does not work. Find out more about colposcopy and purging in this article.

Colposcopy: what is it?

To make abnormalities in the large intestine (colon) visible, specialists perform a colonoscopy. A colonoscopy is an examination that allows the diagnosis of health problems in the colon. It is performed by a gastroenterologist who inserts an endoscope into your anus. To do this, the professional puts you under complete anesthesia before introducing the device.

To perform a colonoscopy, there is a device specially adapted for this purpose. It is a thin, 1.5-meter long instrument called a colonoscope. At the first end of this device (the inserted part), a mini-camera is installed to visualize the inside of the large intestine. At the second end, there are handles that are used to direct the instrument. It should be noted that this examination does not allow the observation of the small intestine or the stomach.

A colonoscopy is necessary when you have health problems such as :

  • Intestinal bleeding;
  • Increased diarrhea;
  • Abdominal pain that occurs for no apparent reason;
  • Repeated constipation.

Colonoscopy is also done to detect diseases such as colorectal cancer.

Pourquoi faire une purge avant cet examen ?

Why do a purge before this exam?

Before the colonoscopy, the patient must have a consultation with the specialist. During the consultation, the patient will be given instructions on how to prepare for the examination. Indeed, in order to visualize your colon, a preliminary preparation must be done in order to make the interior clean. This is the purge, which serves to completely empty your large intestine of the fecal matter that is in it. This is because in order to perform a better colonoscopy, the colon must be clean so that the gastroenterologist can see the inside well.

To do the purge, the doctor will advise you to stop eating meals that are high in residue for two days before the exam. These can stick to the wall of the large intestine, causing a bowel obstruction and masking your imperfections. In addition, preparation for a colonoscopy should take into account the patient’s age, history and medications. This will help determine the preparation technique that best suits the patient’s condition. In short, the purge will help avoid repeating the colonoscopy examination.

What are the reasons why the purge does not work?

The success of a colonoscopy examination depends largely on a good purge. However, there are times when the purge does not work for a variety of reasons. This happens especially when the patient does not follow the doctor’s instructions. Another reason for a failed purge is poor preparation.

A failed purge is noticeable by the presence of fecal matter in your colon. Most of the fecal matter is solid and sticky and does not allow for easy viewing of the inside of the large intestine. If this happens, there are two options for you and your doctor:

  • The first is to perform the colonoscopy without being able to thoroughly examine the inside;
  • The second is to postpone the examination to a later date: usually before 3 months.

The second option is to postpone the examination to a later date: usually before 3 months. What is recommended is the postponement of the analyses in order to have a useful examination and to have good results.

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