Colonoscopy in Austria and the American guidelines: A comparison

Introduction: If in the process of a basic colonoscopy adenomas were found, the risk of developing new ones is high. Hence, the patients need an accurate follow-up colonoscopy after polypectomy of adenomas. The American guidelines, published in 2008 (American Cancer Society; Gastroenterology 2008; 134:1570–1595), established a set of terms to define an interval of follow-up colonoscopy based on the numbers and size of adenomas found and their corresponding histological characteristics. Given that in Austria are no published guidelines we intended to assess to what extent Austrian endoscopists are referring to th…