ABSTRACT
The first colonoscopies were performed in 1969 by surgeons William I Wolff and Hiromi Shinya working at the Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City in collaboration with the Olympus Optical Company. Paediatric colonoscopy was first reported in the 1970s and has now become the standard investigation for lower gastrointestinal symptoms. The indications for colonoscopy can be divided into diagnostic, screening, surveillance, and therapeutic. There are few contraindications to colonoscopy in experienced hands with appropriate instrumentation. Examination is unlikely to be helpful in constipation and the diagnostic yield is extremely low in abdominal pain unaccompanied by features to suggest systemic illness. Most examinations do not require radiographic screening control and the majority of colonoscopists never use it. Infants are usually examined supine while in older patients the left lateral position is the norm, and it is often possible to complete the examination without a position change.
