Both scopes are rigid instruments. Advances in fiber optics and computer chips have led to the development of thinner flexible tubes such as flexible sigmoidoscopes and colonoscopes that can be guided into the colon with minimal discomfort to the patient. A built-in light enables the physician to see. The endoscope straightens the natural folds of the bowel as it is inserted, so that the lining is easily viewed. The flexible sigmoidoscopy is an improvement over previously used rigid sigmoidoscopy.
Flexible sigmoidoscopes can examine more of the colon with little discomfort to the patient.
The flexible sigmoidoscopy is recommended as a routine procedure starting at age 50. During this procedure, a flexible tube is inserted through the rectum into the lower part of the colon. The endoscope, or tube, allows the physician to view the colon either through the eye piece or through a video monitor. Flexible sigmoidoscopy can result in detection of a polyp, a growth on the wall of the colon that requires further evaluation or a suspicious area on the wall of the lower colon or rectum. The flexible sigmoidoscope can also be used to perform a biopsy or to remove tissue, permitting further evaluation of any suspicious areas.