Background: Pediatric colonoscopy is routinely performed in most hospitals in Saudi Arabia and yet published data are scarce. The objective of this report is to describe our experience in the practice of pediatric colonoscopy in Saudi Arabia.
Patients and methods: Retrospective analysis of data of all patients below 18 years of age who underwent colonoscopy over a 10-year period.
Results: From 1414 H (1993 G) to 1423 H (2002 G), two hundred and seventeen colonoscopies, of which 183 diagnostic procedures, were performed on 183 children. The majority (94%) were Saudi nationals, the age range was between 5 months and 18 years, and the female to male ratio was 1:0.8. Colonoscopy was total in 58 (32%) and limited in 125 patients (68%). The commonest reason for not completing the procedure was securing the diagnosis in 45/125 patients (36%). The commonest indication was rectal bleeding (35%). The highest yield was in children with bloody diarrhea (91%) and the lowest in those with abdominal pain (27%) with an overall yield of 44%. Colitis was the most common diagnosis occurring in 66% of the children.
Conclusion: this report highlights the role of colonoscopy in the recognition of diseases of the colon in our community and identifies some of the problems areas associated with the performance of this procedure in our institution.