Colonoscopy at Age 90+ Years: High Yield, High Risk

The risk of colonoscopy has not been adequately examined in elderly patients aged ≥90 years. In a retrospective comparison of colonoscopy risk between 76 patients aged ≥90 years and 140 patients aged 75 to 79 years, the 90+ group was more likely to be categorized as ASA class ≥III (26% vs. 5%), more likely to have rectal bleeding or abnormal imaging as the colonoscopy indication, and less likely to have diarrhea or abdominal pain as the indication. Procedure success was lower in the 90+ group (80% vs. 99%), who were more often examined with pediatric colonoscopes (49% vs. 27%) and twice as likely to have inadequate bowel preparation (30% vs. 15%).

The complication rate was much higher in the 90+ group (9.2% vs. 0.7%), mostly from a higher ra…