This is a video that illustrates what view the doctor has during a colonoscopy examination in a patient with ulcerative colitis. This 17 year old high school student came to our office with a complaint of 6 weeks of worsening diarrhea which was a new symptom for her. Recently, she noticed some blood and mucus in her bowel movements and crampy abdominal pain. When she began missing school, her mother made an appointment for a gastroenterology evaluation. When this colonoscopy was performed, she was found to have ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis is a disease of the colon which causes inflammation and ulcers on the inner lining of the colon. This usually causes symptoms of bloody diarrhea and abdominal pain. The cause is not known and there is no medical cure as yet, but treatment is available.

In this short video clip, you can see the inflamed irregular colon lining with some red bleeding. The white material called exudate is a response to the inflammation. Compare this to the video of a normal colon lining. With treatment, her symptoms improved and her diarrhea and rectal bleeding ceased. She is now doing well on maintenance medical therapy to help prevent reoccurence. For more information about ulcerative colitis, check out the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).

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Three Rivers Endoscopy Scope Cam Ulcerative Colitis