Do diverticular disease (DD) and/or prior abdominal or pelvic surgery (PAPS) influence the ability to perform complete colonoscopy (CC): A prospective study

In a previous retrospective study at our center, the CC success rate in 1398 patients was found to be slightly lower among females (94.3%) compared to males (97.5%), p < 0.005. We therefore undertook a prospective evaluation to see whether this difference was maintained and to determine what factors might influence CC to the cecum. METHODS: We prospectively analyzed the presence of DD and/or a history of PAPS on the rate of CC performed by the GI faculty from January 1 through October 31, 1995. Of 922 colonoscopies, 101 were excluded due to partial colonic resection (70), inadequate prep (21), obstructing lesions (7), or sedation difficulties (2). χ² analysis was used to compare subgroups. RESULTS: In 821 exams, the rate of CC was not significantly lower in females as compared to males (96.4% vs. 98.0%, p = 0.25). Analysis by DD and/or PAPS is given below: P A P S No P A P S p Males 118/120 98.3% 276/282 97.9% NS Females 227/236 96.1% 177/183 96.7% NS TOTAL 345/356 96.9% 453/465 97.4% NS D D No D D p Males 178/178 100.0% 216/224 96.4% < 0.05 Females 153/159 96.2% 251/260 96.5% NS TOTAL 331/337 98.2% 467/484 96.5% NS P A P S & D D No P A S or D D p Males 64/64 100.0% 162/168 96.4% NS Females 96/101 95.0% 120/125 96.0% NS TOTAL 160/165 97.0% 282/293 96.2% NS CONCLUSIONS: Neither DD, PAPS, nor gender, alone or in combination, appear to adversely affect the rate of CC as determined by this prospective study.