By the way, doctor: Does a colonoscopy reach the ileum?
Colonoscopy is performed using an endoscope, a flexible tube that allows a doctor to place his or her eye at one end and see clearly what's at the other end. But endoscopes aren't just for seeing. Doctors also use instruments at the far end of the endoscopes to perform biopsies, give injections, and surgically remove small growths (polyps) to check for cancer. A colonoscopy is an examination of the entire length of the colon. It has largely replaced the barium enema, the previous technique for examining the colon.
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