Sedation Method Does Not Affect Colonoscopy Detection Rate

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Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States and colonoscopy is the most-used screening tool to detect it. 

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States and colonoscopy is the most-used screening tool to detect it. In a recently published study, researchers from the University of Missouri School of Medicine determined deep sedation does not improve the colonoscopy quality compared to moderate sedation when it comes to the polyp detection rate or adenoma detection rate, the type of polyp that can eventually become cancerous.

“University of Missouri Health Care is always examining ways to improve colonoscopy quality for patients,” said Matthew Bechtold, MD, professor of clinical medicine at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. “The most important quality measure is the adenoma detection rate and polyp detection rate.”

Researchers conducted a retrospective study of 585 healthy average-risk patients who underwent either a moderate or deep sedation colonoscopy at the same MU Health Care outpatient center in 2015 or 2016. They found the adenoma and polyp detection rates were not significantly different between the deep sedation and mild sedation groups. Previous studies have indicated a majority of colonoscopies in the U.S. use moderate sedation instead of deep sedation.

Read more at University of Missouri-Columbia

Image: Study author Matthew Bechtold, MD, professor of clinical medicine at the University of Missouri School of Medicine (Credit: University of Missouri Health Care)