Colonoscopy is a diagnostic and therapeutic tool that allows the ability to endoscopically examine the inside of the large bowel and distal part of the small bowel. It is now considered the gold standard for colon cancer screening, which has led to a decreased incidence of colon cancer.
The colonoscopy and how it is implemented has changed in multiple ways over the years. The inside of a human was first examined with rigid sigmoidoscopy in 1805 by Phillipp Bozzinni. Rigid sigmoidoscopy is