Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Endosc. May 16, 2024; 16(5): 244-249
Published online May 16, 2024. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v16.i5.244
Constipation and colonoscopy
Dusan Dj Popovic, Branka Filipovic
Dusan Dj Popovic, Branka Filipovic, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade 11000, Serbia
Dusan Dj Popovic, Branka Filipovic, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Clinic for Internal Medicine, University Clinical Hospital Center “Dr. Dragisa Misovic-Dedinje”, Belgrade 11000, Serbia
Author contributions: Popovic DD and Filipovic B contributed to this paper; Popovic DD designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript; Popovic DD and Filipovic B contributed to the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of the data; Popovic DD drafted the article; Popovic DD and Filipovic B made critical revisions related to important intellectual content of the manuscript; All approved the final version of the article.
Supported by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovations, Republic of Serbia, No. 451-03-66/2024-03/200110.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Dr. Popovic reports grants from Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovations, Republic of Serbia, during the conduct of the study.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Dusan Dj Popovic, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Consultant Physician-Scientist, Research Assistant Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Dr. Subotica 8, Belgrade 11000, Serbia. pduschan@gmail.com
Received: March 21, 2024
Revised: April 15, 2024
Accepted: April 24, 2024
Published online: May 16, 2024
Processing time: 53 Days and 7.5 Hours
Core Tip

Core Tip: Constipation is a common medical problem, especially in the elderly population. Diagnosis of constipation includes history, physical examination, and basic laboratory analyses. Colonoscopy is not a necessary diagnostic method for all patients with constipation. It is indicated if alarm symptoms and signs are present. Colonoscopy in patients with constipation is often compromised by factors that cause “difficult colonoscopy,” as well as poor bowel preparation. Colonoscopy under sedation is of great importance, but it cannot replace a good examination technique. If a total colonoscopy is not possible, it is necessary to repeat the examination or perform a virtual colonoscopy.