Pioneering Video Colonoscopy In Calabar, South-South, Nigeria: A Six-Month Prospective Study

Colonoscopy is the gold standard investigative modality in diseases of the large bowel. However, this service is not readily available in Nigeria as in most developing countries in Africa. In addition, lack of appropriate expertize and high cost of the procedure limits its use in our environment. This is the first report on colonoscopy from this part of Nigeria.The aim of this study was to evaluate the indications, demographic data and endoscopic findings of patients who presented for colonoscopy in JIL Endoscopy, a private endoscopy centre in Calabar,Nigeria. A total of 20 patients had colonoscopy in this centre during the 6-month study period. There were fifteen males and five females with a male to female ratio of 3:1. The age range was 17-78 years with a mean age of 46.3 years. The commonest indication was bleeding per rectum in 16 (80%) patients. The commonest endoscopic finding was hemmorhoids in 9 (45% ) patients followed by colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease with 3 (15% )cases each.