Abstract
Colonoscopy has been widely employed for diagnosis and therapy in adult patients. In contrast, its indication has been limited in infants and children. One of the reasons was the lack of an appropriate colonoscope ; ordinary fiberscopes for adults have been too large in caliber and too stiff for pediatric patients. Recent technological development enabled to make a slender colonoscope, type CF-XP (Olympus) ; the diameter of its insertion tube is only 7.9 mm. During the last 2 years, pediatric colonoscopy was performed 29 times in 21 patients using CF-XP. Patient's tolerance during examination was much greater with CF-XP, compared with PCF-10 or CF-10I. In pateints under age of five, total colonoscopy and endoscopic polypectomy were carried out under general anesthesia, however, premedications were not required in patients over the age. Total colonoscopy was performed in 15 patients without accident. The average time required for insertion was 7.5 minutes, whereas that with PCF-10 was 10.0 minutes. In conclusion, pediatric colonoscopy became easier by the development of CF-XP.
