Pathology and screening
Colonoscopy report explainer
A colonoscopy report is written for other clinicians. It records how clean the bowel was, how far the scope reached and everything seen or removed along the way, segment by segment. Add your report below to see those lines put into plain language.
Explain your colonoscopy report
- 1. Add itDrop a PDF, take a photo or paste the text.
- 2. Check itPersonal details are removed on your device. You approve what is sent.
- 3. Read itSummary, table of results, terms and questions to ask.
The explainer opens on its own page with no adverts and no outside scripts. Your file is read on your device and is never uploaded.
What you get
- Bowel preparation quality and the extent of the examination restated first.
- Each polyp or other finding on its own row with its location, size and what was done.
- Terms such as sessile, pedunculated, snare polypectomy and diverticulosis defined.
- A list of the samples sent to the laboratory, so you know which results are still to come.
What the report contains
- IndicationThe reason the test was done, such as screening, symptoms or follow-up
- Bowel preparationHow clean the bowel was, in words such as excellent, good, fair or poor, or as a Boston Bowel Preparation Scale score
- Cecal intubation (caecal in British spelling)The scope reached the cecum, the far end of the large bowel
- Withdrawal timeHow long the endoscopist spent examining the lining on the way back out
- PolypA growth on the bowel lining, described by segment, size in mm and shape (sessile is flat-based, pedunculated is on a stalk)
- Polypectomy and biopsyRemoval of a whole polyp, and the taking of a small sample, for the laboratory to examine
- Diverticulosis and hemorrhoidsSmall pouches in the bowel wall, and swollen blood vessels near the anus
What this tool cannot tell you
The report describes what the endoscopist saw, but what a polyp or a biopsy actually is gets decided later under the microscope, in a separate pathology report. When your next colonoscopy should be depends on that result, your history and the guidelines your clinic follows. MedicDecode restates the procedure report and does not predict the laboratory result or set a follow-up interval. Your endoscopy unit or doctor will give you both.
Common questions
What does cecal intubation mean?
It records that the scope travelled the whole length of the large bowel to its far end, the cecum. Reports often add that landmarks such as the appendix opening or the ileocecal valve were seen, as confirmation.
A polyp was removed. Does the report say what it was?
Usually not. The report gives the polyp's size, shape and position and says it was sent to the laboratory. The type of polyp comes in the pathology report, which arrives separately.
Why does the report grade my bowel preparation?
The grade tells other clinicians how well the lining could be seen. Where the view was limited the report says so, and some reports recommend repeating the test for that reason.
Words you may see on this report
Tap a word for its plain-English meaning, an example line and what it does not mean.
- Atypical
Atypical means cells look different from normal under the microscope, but not clearly enough to be called cancer.
- Benign
Benign means not cancer. A benign growth does not spread to other parts of the body.
- Biopsy
A biopsy is a procedure to take a small sample of tissue so it can be looked at under a microscope.
- Carcinoma in situ
Carcinoma in situ means abnormal cells that look like cancer are found, but they have not grown beyond the layer where they started.
- Cytology
Cytology is the study of individual cells, usually from fluid, a smear or a fine needle sample, looked at under a microscope.
- Dysplasia
Dysplasia means cells look abnormal under the microscope in a way that is not cancer, but in some tissues may lead toward cancer if left alone.
- Grade and stage
Grade describes how abnormal cancer cells look under a microscope. Stage describes how large a cancer is and how far it has spread.
- Malignant
Malignant means cancerous. A malignant growth can grow into nearby tissue and may spread to other parts of the body.
- Margins
Margins are the edges of tissue removed in surgery. The pathologist checks whether abnormal cells reach those edges.
- Metastasis
Metastasis means cancer cells have spread from where they started to another part of the body. The plural is metastases.
- Necrosis
Necrosis means death of body tissue or cells in a particular area, caused by injury, infection, lack of blood supply or certain substances.