IMPACT OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON COLONOSCOPY ACTIVITY

Aims Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) pandemic has plainly restrained activities in healthcare facilities, notably the ability to carry out colonoscopy. The purpose of this study was to assess the repercussions on colonoscopy load as well as its indications and findings.

Methods We performed a single-centre retrospective study spread over a period of eight months. We delimited two time-intervals: pre-pandemic (November 2019 – February 2020) and the 1^st pandemic wave (March 2020 – June 2020). We included all colonoscopies carried out during this period.

Results One hundred and ninety-seven patients with mean age of 53.4 years±15.7 years and M/F sex-ratio of 1.32 were included. Comparing the pandemic phase to the baseline period, the mean age of patients undergoing colonoscopy decreased mildly (55.7 vs 49.8 years; p=0.01) while the sex distribution did not change (41.3-46.1% females, p=0.51). The volume of colonoscopies dropped considerably of 37.2% (121 vs 76) along with outpatients’ proportion (81.8% to 63.9%, p<0.01). Screening colonoscopy numbers declined recognisably (13.2 to 0%, p<0.01) whilst both diagnostic and surveillance colonoscopies did not vary significantly in proportion (diagnostic: 72.7-81.6%, p=0.15; surveillance: 14-18.4%, p=0.41). Likewise, colonoscopic findings did not mismatch when compared to benchmark period, namely: normal coloscopy (63.3-57.3%, p=0.40), polyps (15-8%, p=0.15), diverticula (3.3-8%, p=0.14), angiodysplasia (0.8-1.3%, p=0.62), features of inflammatory bowel disease (11.7-17.3%, p=0.26) and colorectal tumour (5-6.7%, p=0.42).

Conclusions COVID19 pandemic toned down colonoscopy activity and, above all, markedly impeded colorectal cancer endoscopic screening. Yet, it did not reshape the distribution of colonoscopic findings.

Publication History

Article published online:
14 April 2022