How to Prepare for Your Colonoscopy Appointment
A colonoscopy is a procedure which examines the mucous membrane of the colon (large intestine) with a colonofiberoscope, which is particularly important in the prophylaxis and early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.
Please make sure someone accompanies you at your examination.
Patients are not allowed to drive or operate machinery for 12 hours after receiving sedatives and analgesics.
The procedure can be covered by NFZ insurance or paid for by the patient.
If the examination is funded by NFZ, a referral from a specialist or family doctor is mandatory.
Patients registered with a referral are asked to arrive at the Endoscopic Laboratory (Elevator 2, 2nd floor) at the scheduled date and time.
Patients who register for an examination which they will pay for are asked to go to the Reception Desk of the Specialist Outpatient Care Department (Elevator 3, 1st floor) to make the payment and provide the necessary patient data.
How to prepare for an appointment scheduled between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Patients must prepare for a colonoscopy; they must clean food residues from the bowel.
The referring physician will prescribe a special medication that the patient must buy at a pharmacy. Note that the medication is available by prescription only.
The most commonly prescribed bowel-cleansing agents, in alphabetical order, are Citra Fleet, Clensia, Eziclen, Fortrans, Moviprep, and Olopeg.
The choice of the bowel-cleansing agent depends on the physician’s and the patient’s preferences and the patient’s health and co-morbidities.
- Do not eat whole-grain bread, stone fruit, or seeded fruit or vegetables (such as cucumbers, tomatoes, grapes, poppy seeds, kiwis, or strawberries) for 4 days before the scheduled colonoscopy;
- On the day before the examination:
– eat a light breakfast and soup for lunch (broth or creamy soup) and do not eat again before the examination;
– drink the prescribed bowel-cleansing agent between 3:00 and 11:00 p.m. according to the leaflet;
– On the day of the examination, drink only clear, non-carbonated fluids and do not eat anything.
If the bowel has not been properly prepared and the examination cannot be performed, the physician may refuse to perform the examination or may examine only a shorter section of the intestine instead (e.g., sigmoidoscopy).The cost of using the equipment is paid out of pocket, unless the examination is covered by NFZ insurance.
Medications
Patients on blood-thinning medications must consult the attending physician in order to discontinue or modify the therapy (an INR test report must be brought to the examination, which is valid for 7 days).
Diabetic patients should also consult the attending physician for recommendations on preparing for the examination.
Other regular medications should be taken as usual with a small amount of water.
Results
The colonoscopy report will be available immediately after the procedure; the histopathology report, if applicable, will be ready within 14 working days.
Call 516 171 166 to find out whether your report is ready to be collected.
The histopathology report can be collected in person or with written authorization at the Main Reception Desk (at the main entrance to the hospital), from Monday to Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. (until 6:00 p.m. on Thursdays).
How to prepare for an appointment scheduled between 2:00 and 8:00 p.m.
Patients must prepare for a colonoscopy; they must clean food residues from the bowel.
The referring physician will prescribe a special medication that the patient must buy at a pharmacy. Note that the medication is available by prescription only.
The most commonly prescribed bowel-cleansing agents, in alphabetical order, are Citra Fleet, Clensia, Eziclen, Fortrans, Moviprep, and Olopeg.
The choice of the bowel-cleansing agent depends on the physician’s and the patient’s preferences and the patient’s health and co-morbidities.
- Do not eat whole-grain bread, stone fruit, or seeded fruit or vegetables (such as cucumbers, tomatoes, grapes, poppy seeds, kiwis, or strawberries) for 4 days before the scheduled colonoscopy;
- On the day before the examination:
– eat a light breakfast and soup for lunch (broth or creamy soup), and do not eat again before the examination;
– drink the first dose of the prescribed bowel-cleansing agent between 3:00 and 8:00 p.m. according to the leaflet; the second dose should be drunk on the day of the examination, between 7:00 and 10:00 a.m.
– On the day of the examination, drink only clear, non-carbonated fluids and do not eat anything.
If the bowel has not been properly prepared and the examination cannot be performed, the physician may refuse to perform the examination or may examine only a shorter section of the intestine instead (e.g., sigmoidoscopy). The cost of using the equipment is paid out of pocket, unless the examination is covered by NFZ insurance.
Medications
Patients on blood-thinning medications must consult the attending physician in order to discontinue or modify the therapy (an INR test report must be brought to the examination, which is valid for 7 days).
Diabetic patients should also consult the attending physician for recommendations on preparing for the examination.
Other regular medications should be taken as usual with a small amount of water.
Results
The colonoscopy report will be available immediately after the procedure; the histopathology report, if applicable, will be ready within 14 working days.
Call 516 171 166 to find out whether your report is ready to be collected.
The histopathology report can be collected in person or with written authorization at the Main Reception Desk (at the main entrance to the hospital), from Monday to Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. (until 6:00 p.m. on Thursdays).
Download: