Patients Corner

Do not eat or drink anything except water for 8 before a fasting blood glucose test and 12 hours before lipid analysis.

1. Usually need to fast for 3 – 4 hours before the scan
2. Must be accompanied by a friend / relative on the examination day
3. Those who doesn’t need contrast medium injection, can leave after the examination
4. Those who need to be injected with contrast medium, need to rest for 15 – 20 minutes before removing the needle and make sure the bleeding is stopped before leaving.
5. Drink at least 1500 ml water after the examination helps clearing the cotrast medium from the body.

1. Please inform medical staffs if you have metallic implants or foreign bodies, e.g. Pacemaker, inside your body.
2. Children under 10 need to fast for 4 hours before the examination.
3. Do not eat or drink anything, including water, for 4 hours before the examination.
4. Must be accompanied by a friend / relative.

For abdominal, fast for 6 to 8 hours before the examination; For pelvic, drink up to 6 glassess of water before the examination to ensure the bladder is full.

• Keep calm and relax
• Remove all metal substance, accessories, leggings & stockings
• Keep clean and dry
• No stimulating beverages, food or smoke 1 hour before the examination
• No sports before the examination

Before the examination

• A written consent is required.
• Do not eat or drink anything for 6-8 hours before the procedure.
• An intravenous line will be set up for sedations before the procedure. This sedative will put you to sleep through the procedure.
• A local anesthetic will be sprayed onto your throat causing some numbness to minimize the discomfort when the tube is being introduced.
• Please inform doctor if you have,
  1. Drug allergy
  2. Drug history – antiplatelet and anticoagulant, such as NSAID, Warfarin etc
  3. Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiac or pulmonary disease
  4. Implantation of pacemaker or prosthesis

During the examination

• You will be asked to swallow at the time the tube is placed into your throat. This will guide the endoscope into your oesophagus. The doctor will gently push the tube so that its end moves into your gullet.
• If a suspicious area is seen on the lining of the stomach or esophagus, the doctor will remove a tiny piece of tissue (a biopsy) for examination under the microscope.
• During the procedure, it is normal if you have a feeling of nausea. Relaxation can help to facilitate the procedure.

After the examination

• If you have not been given IV sedatives, you are advised to rest for at least 30 minutes before leaving.
• You can drink water one hour after the procedure and resume normal diet if there is no choking.
• If you have been given sedatives, you must be accompanied by an adult when you leave
• Do not drive, ride a bicycle, operate any machinery or drink any alcoholic beverage within 24 hours after the procedure.
• You may experience a minor sore throat and/or abdominal distension immediately after the procedure. These symptoms will gradually subside. Inform your doctor if these symptoms persist.

• Before the procedure, special instructions about diet (low residue diet), medications and how to clean the colon (with laxatives and/or enemas) will be given to you.
• Do not eat or drink anything for 8 – 12 hours before the procedure.
• If you are taking anticoagulants, discuss with your attending doctor before discontinuing the drug.
• It is required to change your diet three days before the procedure is performed.

Colonoscopy is a procedure which allows the doctor to have a direct visual of the inner lining of the large bowel by passing a long flexible tube, with a diameter of approximately 1.3cm, with a light source and a tiny video camera at the end through the rectum. Additional therapeutic procedures can also be performed at the same time, such as endoscopic polypectomy, injection or banding of piles and tumor biopsy.

A written consent is required.Please inform doctor for the followings:

1. Drug allergy
2. Drug history – antiplatelet and anticoagulant, such as NSAID, Warfarin etc
3. Diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cardiac or pulmonary disease
4. Implantation of pacemaker or arthroplasty

• You will be given a “sedative” through an intravenous (IV) line before the procedure begins. This medication will put you to sleep through the procedure.
• Patient is under close monitoring with sedations given intravenously.
• Patient should lie on the left side with knees bend towards the abdomen.
• A colonoscope is inserted into the anus and guided through the colon.
• The colonoscope allows the doctor to take a biopsy or remove polyps during the procedure.
• During colonoscopy, air will be passed through the tube to distend the bowel. It is normal to have wind like cramps and a feeling of wanting to go to the toilet, which will gradually subside.
• The procedure will last for approximately 30 minutes.
• After the procedure, passing gas helps relieve cramps. Inform your doctor if the discomfort persists, or if you experience severe abdominal pain or passage of blood per rectum.
• Must be accompanied by an adult when leaving.
• Do not drive, ride a bicycle, operate any machinery or drink any alcoholic beverage within 24 hours after the procedure.
• Normal diet can be resumed after colonoscopy.