Pain perception during colonoscopy in relation to gender and equipment: a clinical study

Objectives: A trend for gender-related differences in pain perception during colonoscopies has previously been observed. No consecutive clinical studies have been conducted to confirm such a relation. We aimed to investigate gender-related differences during the colonoscopy procedure, and the impact of endoscopic equipment and psychological factors on pain management. Methods: In a consecutive clinical study, 391 patients referred for colonoscopy reported pain perception on a 0–10 visual analogue scale (VAS) after the procedure. A sub-group of patients (n=38) were given alternate instructions expertly tailored by a psychologist and their VAS scores were compared with those from the main study population. Data from a previous study from the same specialist practice and same source patient population using previous-generation equipment was included for comparison. Results: No overall gender-related difference in VAS reports was found. There was no reduction in VAS when alternate instructions were given. Female patients were, however, more likely to benefit from light sedation (p=0.012). When compared with previous-generation endoscopes, the current generation equipment resulted in a VAS drop of 1.9 points for women and 1.6 for men (p<0.009) and washed out a previously observed gender-related difference. Conclusion: No overall gender-related differences were found for pain experience during the colonoscopy procedure. Access to up-to-date endoscopic equipment can reduce procedure-related patient discomfort considerably, even at the expert level of a consultant physician. Implications: Gastroenterologists should consider utilizing high-end endoscopic equipment to improve pain management and reduce VAS to very acceptable levels.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Pain perception during colonoscopy in relation to gender and equipment: a clinical study ; volume:20 ; number:4 ; year:2020 ; pages:747-753 ; extent:7 ; Scandinavian journal of pain ; 20, Heft 4 (2020), 747-753 (gesamt 7)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Hendel, Kristoffer ; Hendel, Rebecca ; Hendel, Jakob ; Hendel, Lene

Further information

• DOI: 10.1515/sjpain-2019-0164
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2024022715252213063369
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:57 AM CEST