What you need to know about physical examinations

Enteroscopy: Preparing for an enteroscopy

An enteroscopy is an important measure to screen, diagnose and treat intestinal diseases. Some preparations are needed before undergoing an enteroscopy.

Communication with doctor

Tell your doctor the following information in advance:

1.Whether you have a cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease;

2.Whether you are taking any antiplatelet or anticoagulant medicines or other medications;

3.Whether there is a family history of intestinal diseases, personal history of abdominal operations or of other diseases;

4.Whether, for a woman, you are in menstruation or are pregnant;

5.Whether you smoke or drink. 

Dietary preparation

Do not eat any food with seeds, such as dragon fruit and kiwi fruit, one week before an enteroscopy. Also do not eat indigestible foods such as black fungus and tomato skins, which are not easily excreted in the gut. 

Do not drink or smoke two or three days before an enteroscopy. Eat something that is digestible and light, such as porridge and noodles. 

Medication preparation 

The bowel needs to be cleansed before an enteroscopy, you just need to follow the instructions of your doctor. 

The following groups need to undergo an enteroscopy under the guidance of a doctor.

People over 45;

People with immediate family members having a history of colorectal cancer;

People with diarrhea of unknown cause, abdominal pain, anemia or abdominal mass;

People with hemorrhaging of the digestive track of unknown cause;

People with confirmed intestinal lesions such as inflammatory bowel disease and colon polyps;

People who have had colon cancer surgery.

An enteroscopy is an important tool for detecting and excising early intestinal tumors. After the procedure, if everything is fine, people can wait to take the examination again 5 to 10 years later.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) (nothing to do with radiation)

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has nothing to do with radiation. It uses hydrogen protons in the water that makes up living tissues in the body to make images, and does not generate nuclear radiation or radioactive substances. 

An MRI can be used to examine a wide range of body parts, including the nervous system, bones and heart. However, since MRI produces a strong magnetic field, metallic items such as necklaces, mobile phones, coins and keys should be removed from the body before an MRI; people with metallic items in the body, such as a heart pacemaker, endovascular stent and orthopedic metal implants, need to consult a doctor to see whether they are eligible for an MRI.

Since an MRI takes a long time, it is unsuitable for some critically ill patients. When people have an MRI, the body will generate heat under the influence of the high-intensity magnetic field, so it is also unsuitable for patients with high fever. Patients with claustrophobia or women within the first three months of pregnancy are not eligible for an MRI too. 

Color ultrasound: color coding helps identify blood flow signals

Color ultrasound does not mean that the image on the examination report is in color.  

The "color" in the color ultrasound is for red and blue. Color ultrasound uses an ultrasonic doppler technique and the principle of ultrasonic echoes to code the blood flow signals and superimpose them on a two-dimensional image, which can help doctor to judge blood flow signals in the human body. 

The ultrasonic examination can deftly present every side of the organs in the human body, and so is widely used in the examinations of the abdomen, heart, blood vessel and gynecological areas. In addition, doctors can carry out tissue puncture, biopsy and some interventional therapies under the guidance of real-time ultrasound.