Direct Access Colonoscopy
What is a colonoscopy?
Colonoscopy involves visual assessment of the inner lining of the bowel with a flexible camera. Colonoscopy forms an integral component of assessing colonic health. This direct visualisation of the inner lining of the colon (large bowel) allows for diagnosis of a variety of colorectal conditions. These include polyps, which are outgrowths of the inner lining of the bowel (mucosa) e.g. adenomas, hyperplastic polyps, bowel cancers (and exclusion of) diverticular disease (and followed up to diverticulitis), as well as allowing for therapeutic (treatment) interventions for bleeding, removal of polyps (polypectomy) and many other indications.
Why Direct Access Colonoscopy?
Frequently, the indications for a colonoscopic assessments are clear and your General Practitioner may choose to include one in the work-up for your symptoms. Common indications would be for the presence of faecal occult stool blood (FOBT), or iron deficiency anaemia. For this we would can facilitate colonoscopy as a direct access procedure, allowing for assessment on the day only. For this your GP will have access to our direct access forms. However, should you choose to seek specialist opinion prior this can also be arranged.
Our surgeons perform a wide range of colonoscopic procedures including endoscopic mucosal resections (EMR) and are accredited by the Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA).
General Practitioners can submit for Direct Access with our form in RTF format below:
