Article

The overall goal of this observational study was to determine the type and
prevalence of colonoscopic lesions encountered in veterans with traumatic spinal
cord injury (SCI) and to examine their relationship to lesion level,
completeness, and duration postinjury. We retrospectively reviewed the electronic
charts of veterans with SCI who are regularly followed in our SCI clinic.
Colonoscopy in veterans with SCI was undertaken for their gastrointestinal (GI)
complaints. Of the 87 veterans with SCI, 71 who were 50 years of age or older
were included in this study.
Of these 71, 28 underwent colonoscopies (39.4%).
Demographic variables were matched between patients who underwent colonoscopies
and those who did not for age, sex, race/ethnicity, age of onset of SCI, and
duration of SCI (p > 0.05). The colonoscopic lesions seen in 26 (93%) of the 28
veterans with SCI who underwent colonoscopies included diverticulae, internal
hemorrhoids, and polyps. No relationship was found between colonoscopic lesion
type and SCI lesion location or severity. A relationship was found between total
colonoscopic lesions and duration of SCI (p < 0.001).
Age-, sex-, and race/ethnicity-matched veterans without SCI (controls) who underwent colonoscopy
for their GI complaints had more colonoscopic lesions than the veterans with SCI
who underwent colonoscopies
(p < 0.001).

Langue : ANGLAIS