Double-balloon Colonoscopy to Increase Cecal Intubation Rate in Technically Difficult Colonoscopies

The aim of colonoscopy is to visualize the inside of the entire large bowel. Several factors can make the procedure difficult, and sometimes a complete examination is not possible. Complicating factors include poor bowel preparation and technical challenges such as differences in anatomy (long, redundant colonic segments), post-surgical adhesions, strictures and diverticulosis. A special endoscope with two inflatable balloons, originally designed to examine the small bowel, has been used for several years with success in such technically difficult colonoscopies. More recently a modified double-balloon instrument was designed specifically for colonoscopy, but the documentation of the performance of this instrument is limited. The aim of the present study is to investigate the performance of the double-balloon colonoscope in cases where conventional colonoscopy have failed due to technical difficulties.