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Acute liver failure

RobertCoats

My question is why would a doctor order a colonoscopy when the patient has liver failure what is the point

Reply 1

Kindred

Original post by RobertCoats

My question is why would a doctor order a colonoscopy when the patient has liver failure what is the point

From googling it it seems colonoscopies can be used to detect things like bleeding and inflammation which can relate to liver diseases and also to check for things like cancer before transplants.
It also appears some things like removal of small growths and biopsies can be preformed via colonoscopy.

I would assume that although a colonoscopy does not look at the liver directly it can be used to check the surrounding area and look for signs that whatever the issues with the liver is has not spread or caused problems elsewhere.

That's just from google though. I would think it can be used to rule things out more than anything so it may be that there is no specific reason or concern that has lead to it. But you are probably looking for some more specific info if this is personal to you so...
If you are concerned for yourself I suggest you ask your doctor or the hospital you are being seen at for more information. If you are concerned for somebody else like a family member you may want to have a chat with them or somebody more involved with their treatment about it.

Reply 2

paulbarlow

depends on the level of liver failure. i would hope no doctor would inflict a pointless exam on a terminal patient. usually they must be concerned about a condition in the GI tract. that if left could cause the patient serious problems. it would really depend on the cause of the liver failure.