Clinical Characteristics and Main Findings of Colonoscopy in Tripoli Central Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study of 1858 Patients

Introduction Colonoscopy is used to detect colorectal abnormalities, including inflammatory bowel disease, polyps, cancers, and other colorectal lesions. We aimed to analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics, main findings, and indications of patients who underwent colonoscopy in the Surgery department of Tripoli Central Hospital in Libya.Methods The study data were retrospectively extracted from the medical in and out-patient records of individuals who underwent colonoscopy procedures between December 2009 and December 2016 in the general surgery department of Tripoli General Hospital.Results A total of 1858 patients underwent colonoscopy during the study period with a mean age of 51.7 +/- 18.5 years. Hematochezia was the most common patient complaint (530; 28.5%), followed by constipation (354; 19.1%), and weight loss (178; 9.6%), respectively. Seven-hundred sixty-five (765; 41.2%) participants completed the procedure, 420 (22.6%) did not, and 673 (36.2%) participants failed the colonoscopy. The most common reasons for procedure failure were failed preparation (609; 55.7%), followed by patient intolerance (251; 23.0%), and obstructive lesions (229; 21.0%). The most common finding was colonic masses, followed by polyps (29.0% and 20.8%, respectively).Conclusion This study describes the characteristics of colonoscopy patients in the largest surgical center in Libya over seven years. Hematochezia and chronic constipation were the most common complaints among the participants with reported complaints. Half of the colonoscopy procedures are incomplete or failed due to the lack of patient preparation. Colonic masses and polyps were the most common among the reported colonoscopic findings. Future research to increase the quality of colonoscopy service and patient preparations in Libya is required.