Cost of diagnostic colonoscopy by state

What is a diagnostic colonoscopy?

A diagnostic colonoscopy is a procedure used to evaluate gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, or rectal bleeding. During the procedure, a doctor inserts a colonoscope into your rectum. The colonoscope has a tiny camera that lets the physician view your entire colon.

During the procedure, the doctor can remove polyps or other abnormal tissues if needed. They can also take biopsies, or tissue samples, if suspicious tissue is detected.

How long does a diagnostic colonoscopy take?

Diagnostic colonoscopies take between 30 and 60 minutes to complete. The time varies based on what the physician finds and if they need to remove a lesion or take biopsies. If the doctor discovers something suspicious, they may spend more time observing your colon to determine a diagnosis.

Are you asleep during a colonoscopy?

Doctors use two types of anesthesia in colonoscopies. About 95% of colonoscopy patients receive deep sedation (general anesthesia) from propofol administered by an anesthesiologist. The other 5% have conscious sedation administered by the doctor.

Propofol takes about five minutes to make the patient unconscious. After the procedure, it takes another 10-15 minutes to wake up. Most people need someone to drive them home as the full effects can take hours to wear off.

The doctor may recommend conscious sedation for patients who have cardiovascular, blood pressure, or respiratory problems, as they may have medical issues or reactions with propofol.

How do you feel after a diagnostic colonoscopy?

After the diagnostic colonoscopy, you will need to stay in an outpatient center for an hour or two for the anesthesia to wear off. You will need a pre-arranged driver to take you home, and you and a family member will receive instructions to care for you.

Some people feel cramping or bloating after the procedure. However, you can expect to recover fully in one day and can drive and exercise normally.

If your physician removed polyps or did a biopsy, you might experience some anal bleeding. It could take a couple of days to have another bowel movement, and you may see blood in it.

How long after a colonoscopy can you eat and drink again?

If the doctor did not find anything in the diagnostic colonoscopy, you can eat and drink regularly later the day of your procedure. However, your doctor may provide special diet instructions if you had a polypectomy or biopsy.

Do you get results immediately after the colonoscopy?

Your doctor can tell you if they found any abnormal tissues or polyps immediately after the procedure. If they find something, they send it to the laboratory to determine its cancer status.

Lab results should come back in a few days. Your doctor will schedule an appointment to discuss the results with you. They may recommend more frequent surveillance to see if you have more polyps, especially if they were precancerous or cancerous.

Why would you need a diagnostic colonoscopy?

Doctors often prescribe diagnostic colonoscopies when they suspect a patient has colorectal or gastrointestinal issues or if you have risk factors for colon cancer. These procedures occur at the onset of symptoms rather than as a regular examination.

You may need diagnostic colonoscopy if you:

• experience unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms.
• have risk factors for colorectal cancer.
• are found to have blood in a stool sample test 

Or you may have unexplained symptoms, such as:

• blood in the stool.
• anemia.
• abdominal cramping or pain.
• vomiting.
• anemia.
• weight loss.
• chronic diarrhea or constipation.
• excessive gas or bloating.

The following factors make you at higher risk for colon cancer:

• being male.
• being African American.
• having a family history of polyps or colon cancer.
• having a bowel disease.
• having a genetic disorder like Lynch syndrome that increases your cancer risk.
• being overweight.
• smoking cigarettes.

What is the difference between a regular colonoscopy and a diagnostic colonoscopy?

Doctors perform regular colonoscopies on asymptomatic patients age 45 or older with no history of colorectal issues. These occur every ten years as a screening examination to ensure you have no problems. You may have more frequent screenings if your doctor believes your risk has increased. If you have a higher risk or are showing symptoms of colon problems, your doctor may perform a diagnostic colonoscopy.

Your insurance coverage may be different based on a screening vs. diagnostic colonoscopy. You should check with your insurance carrier to confirm the level of your benefit coverage.