Colonoscopy Specialist
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Karen Zaghiyan, MD, FACS, FASCRS
Colorectal Surgeon located in Los Angeles, CA
Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of death in women and men, but colonoscopy screening can prevent colorectal cancer from developing. Karen Zaghiyan, MD, FACS, FASCRS, is a double board-certified colorectal surgeon providing exceptional services, including advanced forms of surgery, at her practice in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Zaghiyan can help prevent colorectal cancer from affecting your life using colonoscopy, a straightforward screening exam. If you’re searching for the right doctor for your colonoscopy, call Karen Zaghiyan MD or book an appointment online today.
Colonoscopy
What is colonoscopy?
A colonoscopy screening procedure detects and treats colorectal cancers in the earliest stages, preventing their development and potentially saving your life.
Colonoscopy is the gold standard when it comes to screening tools for colorectal cancer, and colon cancer experts estimate that upwards of 65% of colorectal cancers are preventable if people get regular colonoscopies.
The colonoscopy procedure identifies small polyps that may be growing in your colon or rectum and removes them to prevent development into cancer.
What happens during a colonoscopy?
When Dr. Zaghiyan carries out your colonoscopy, she passes a long, thin, flexible camera called a colonoscope into your rectum.
The tube is long enough to enable her to examine the complete length of your colon, and if she finds any polyps, she can remove them using instruments that also pass along the colonoscope.
Before undergoing a colonoscopy, Dr. Zaghiyan asks you to keep to a clear liquid diet and drink a laxative solution to cleanse your colon. The solutions Dr. Zaghiyan prescribes are much more gentle and easier to drink than the older, large-volume brands on the market.
You’re given intravenous (IV) sedation for your colonoscopy, which means you’re calm and sleepy but not totally unconscious.
Colonoscopies take about 30 minutes, followed by an hour in recovery. Most patients recover from their colonoscopy procedure quickly and with little discomfort or nausea, but you may feel bloated afterward and see blood in your stool during bowel movements.
When do I need to start having colonoscopies?
The American Cancer Society’s current recommendations are that you begin having colonoscopies at age 45. You need to start undergoing colorectal cancer screening at an earlier age if you’re at higher risk; for example, if you have a personal history of other cancers, polyps, or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or a family history of certain cancers or colorectal polyps.
Having a colonoscopy could very well save your life, so if you’re looking for an expert in colonoscopy, call Karen Zaghiyan MD or book an appointment online today.