The influence of colonoscopy on the operative management of colorectal cancer.

Total colonoscopy was used in the evaluation of 85 patients with colorectal cancer, either preoperatively or within six months of surgery. Synchronous lesions (six carcinomas, 22 adenomatous polyps, one villous adenoma and nine cases of severe diverticular disease) were detected in 38 (44.7%) patients. The planned surgical procedure was altered in 10 patients (11.8%)--a more extensive resection being performed in each case. In particular, five of the six cases of synchronous cancers were located in different surgical segments. Colonoscopy is a necessary prerequisite in the evaluation of patients with colorectal cancer.