Colonoscopy in the Morning?

You may be more likely to get an accurate result if you schedule this colon cancer screening test in the morning. Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic looked at more than 3,600 colonoscopies performed there and found that the rate of polyp detection was highest - 29 percent - when tests were done in the morning and that detection rates declined to 25 percent as the day wore on. Polyps are benign growths with the potential to become malignant; when found during a colonoscopy they are removed. The study didn’t identify a reason for the time-of-day difference, but investigators speculated that physicians might be less vigilant and less attentive later in the day. However, they also saw that patients screened in the morning were more likely to be men, to be older and to have a history of polyps, all factors that the researchers said could skew the data. More study is needed to determine if physician fatigue plays a role in the differences in detection. If so, fewer colonoscopies scheduled in the afternoon might improve matters. The study was published in the July 2009 issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.