The diagnostic efficiency of sigmoidoscopy in patients with bleeding per rectum

Background: Rectal bleeding is the most common symptom of large bowel pathology which comprises 14 to 19% in adult population. Sigmoidoscopy is a feasible and safe method for diagnosing colorectal problems than colonoscopy and proctoscope. Aim: The present study was an attempt to evaluate the patients with bleeding per rectum sigmoidoscopically and to select the best possible approach to treat the underlying pathology. Materials and methods: A total 54 patients with bleeding per rectum were considered from outpatient department form April 2013 to April 2015 and all the subjects were undergone for routine blood, urine and stool investigations, and sigmoidoscopic investigation. Results: A total of 26 cases were examined sigmoidoscopically for rectal bleeding in that 73.08% cases were able to confirm as definitive source of bleeding and 26.92% cases have other lesions which could not be detected by sigmoidoscope. Conclusion: Sigmoidoscopy has a very high diagnostic yield and would be recommended in the workup of patients presenting with bleeding per rectum. Haemorrhoids followed by ulcerative colitis were the leading cause of bleeding per rectum in this study.