An instrument called an anoscope examines only ten centimeters of the end intestine, i.e. the anus and anal canal, as the end of the rectum. The examination is performed on an outpatient basis. Most often, hemorrhoids, fissures, fistulous ducts, polyps and tumors in the anal region are examined.

Examination of the anal canal under the control of a doctor-surgeon is called anoscopy. With this examination, the doctor will see both the distal and the lower part of the rectum (right intestine). The examination is performed with the help of an instrument called an anoscope.

Anoscope is a hollow tube, 50 to 100 millimeters long and 200 millimeters in diameter. It can be reusable (made of metal) or disposable (made of medical plastic). In order to see the inside of the anal canal, a light source is also needed, which is placed in the handle of this instrument.

An instrument that is similar to an anoscope is a rectoscope, which is a longer instrument, which is why the doctor examines the thicker segment of the large intestine, i.e. the rectum.

Is it painful?

Anoscopy is a painless, short, simple proctological examination, so there is no need to clean the intestines beforehand.

It is performed in the knee – lactal position, more precisely the patient is kneeling leaning on the knees and elbows or in the supine position – when the patient lies on his left side with the knees bent towards the chest.

Generally, the doctor puts vaseline on the anoscope so that the instrument can enter the anal canal more easily, and thus performs the examination.

The whole examination takes really little time, about five minutes, and the patient can return to his usual regular activities afterwards.

Who is examined for the anal canal?

An examination such as anoscopy is recommended for all people who have any of the complaints that are characteristic of this region. For example, bleeding, changes in bowel movements, pain, presence of swelling or palpable changes.

With an examination such as anoscopy, the doctor can detect hemorrhoids, fissures, injuries, polyps, condylomas, ulcers and tumors. For example, anyone who has condyloma in the genital region needs to do an anoscopy to check whether or not there is a condyloma in the anal canal itself. Also, the examination is of essential importance for the early detection of anal cancer, which is mainly present in persons who are HIV positive.

When is it painful?

Some contraindications for the examination do not exist, but still appear relatively in case of narrowing of the anal canal, burns, inflammatory processes in the acute phase or anal condylomas. It is precisely in these conditions that the examination can be painful, so in such cases the anoscopy can be postponed for some time or performed with the help of a certain anesthetic cream.

The rule for these examinations is that before the actual examination with the instrument, the patient is examined with a finger, and in this way it is checked whether there are any diseases that can cause pain during the examination. Also, bumps and growths on the mucous membrane of this region are checked in this way. Also, this way the prostate is checked in men, and the genital organs in women.

Complications that can arise during the examination itself are really rare, and if they do occur, they can be mechanical in terms of injury due to a rough examination.

What is revealed by anoscopy?

With anoscopy, the doctor will discover the cause of the bleeding, but after the examination, he can never with certainty rule out the existence of some other disease that may have affected the remaining upper part of the large intestine.

In such situations, if the doctor recommends, it is necessary to perform a so-called endoscopic examination of the entire large intestine, i.e. a colonoscopy.

Although with anoscopy the doctor will make a diagnosis for most diseases of the anorectal region, through the anoscope certain surgical interventions and even operations can be performed if necessary. In this regard, it is possible for the doctor to perform sclerosing of the hemorrhoids, to place elastic ligatures on the hemorrhoidal nodes, or to remove the flat bodies. Also, with this examination and an instrument such as an anoscope, it is possible to take a biopsy, remove a polyp, but also remove a smaller tumor that can be removed in its entirety.

How important the anoscopy examination is is shown by the fact that it is an integral part of the proctological examination, and more than 50% of bleeding from the colon is wrongly attributed to hemorrhoids. More precisely, the patients themselves mostly attribute the bleeding to hemorrhoids, so they don’t go for an examination and treat themselves at home. However, it is possible to tolerate the use of anti-hemorrhoidal creams for a short period of time in young people, but if the symptoms do not go away, and the pain and discomfort continue, it is necessary to consult a doctor. Anoscopy Examination of the anal canal

Why is it done?

All patients who have a problem such as bleeding, itching, pain, marked changes in bowel movements and the presence of palpable changes and swelling should be examined – anoscopy.

This is a more sensitive method than colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy, which serves the doctor to detect diseases such as hemorrhoids, citrulla, inflammation or ulceration.

Anoscopy can help your doctor better identify atypical cells in the lining of the anus and rectum, so the examination itself will be extremely helpful in the screening and diagnosis of suspicious anal regions, as well as during follow-up after anal cancer treatment in order to detect recurrence in time.

The anoscopy examination lasts a maximum of ten minutes, and it can be used to identify several conditions and diseases that can further affect the lower part of the intestine. Here we mean rectal polyps, hemorrhoids, fissures, fistulous ducts and the like.

Some of the most common indications for anoscopy are internal hemorrhoids, polyps, suspicion of the presence of a tumor, anal fistula or anal fissure.

In certain cases, during the examination itself, the material or part of the tissue is taken for biopsy.

How is it done?

This is a painless procedure that lasts from 10 to 30 minutes maximum. What is important is that the doctor performs a physical examination of the mentioned region before the anoscopy itself. That way they will see if there are any signs of damage or certain abnormalities.

During the examination, both physical and anoscopy, you need to listen the whole time to the doctor who will tell you which body position to take.

This is an endoscopic method that examines the anal canal, as well as a few centimeters of the terminal colon. The procedure is such that a short endoscopic instrument – anoscope, which has a cold light source – is inserted into the anal canal.

The patient does not need to clean the intestines before the scheduled examination.

The position that the doctor will require from the patient is knee-elbow, where the patient is kneeling supported on knees and elbows; but there is also the possibility of the patient being in a supine position where he lies on his left side with his knees bent towards his chest.
The examination does not last longer than 5 minutes, it is not painful, it may be unpleasant depending on the patient.

After the examination itself, there is no recovery period, and you can return to your regular daily activities.

The advantage of such an examination is that the doctor can take a tissue sample in order to perform a possible biopsy of existing abnormalities.