Twenty-four years ago, Frank and Linda vowed to stay together in sickness and in health.
They’re keeping that promise by staying ahead of colon cancer.
“My father had colon cancer. I saw what he had to go through. I made a point then that I was going to make sure that we did everything we could to prevent that from happening to us,” said Frank.
When it came time for a colonoscopy, Linda and Frank turned to Dr. Seth Gross. He’s using a new tool to get a better look.
“The colon is not a smooth pipe. The colon has folds to it,” said Dr. Gross, Director of Advanced Endoscopy, Norwalk Hospital.
Those folds can act as blind spots.
“Traditionally, we would move our colonoscope to push the fold out of the way to see the other side, but even with that technique, there’s a chance we can miss polyps,” said Dr. Gross.
Dr. Gross uses the new third eye retroscope. The camera and light on the end of it extends and bends, highlighting areas that typically stay hidden.
Traditional colonoscopies miss 12 to 24 percent of potentially cancerous polyps. The new FDA-approved tool improves detection rates.
Doctors recommend getting a colonoscopy when you turn 50 or earlier if you have a family history of colon cancer.
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