Does preoperative colonoscopy decrease the need for laparoscopic management of colonic polyps?
We concluded that patients referred for surgical resection of a polyp should undergo repeat colonoscopy preoperatively, given that in our study one-third of patients were spared unnecessary colectomy. In addition, repeat endoscopy by the operating surgeon offers an opportunity to confirm the location of the lesion and place a colonic tattoo to facilitate laparoscopic resection.
Such novel approach to the preoperative diagnosis of biliary tract lesions proved to be highly sensitive and specific, limiting the inadequate preoperative diagnoses to less than 1%.