Colonoscopy, the most widely performed endoscopic procedure in the United States, remains the diagnostic procedure of choice for symptomatic patients, as well as the screening and surveillance procedure of choice for asymptomatic patients at increased risk of colorectal cancer. More recently, colonoscopy has also emerged as the preferred screening test for average-risk patients. Given the aging trends of the population in the United States, the demand for screening colonoscopy will undoubtedly be augmented by the growing number of eligible patients. Consequently, screening more individuals will also create an exponential increase in overall demand, because many of these patients will be entered into surveillance programs upon the detection of adenomatous polyps.
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