How to check blood in stool

If people have blood in their stools, it will cause panic because cancer is a high-incidence disease in recent years and many people have died from cancer. If there is blood in the stool, how can we check to determine what disease we have? Usually, blood in the stool is caused by the intestines, anus and other organs, so as long as we check the intestines, anus and other organs, we can understand the disease. Let’s learn about the examination methods for blood in stool.

The digestive tract below the ligament of Treitz (including the jejunum, ileum, colon and rectum) is called the lower digestive tract. Bleeding caused by lesions in the above-mentioned parts is called hematochezia, also known as hemorrhage of lower digestive tract (hematochezia), which is manifested as blood discharged from the anus, or blood discharged together with feces, and the blood is mostly bright red or dark red.

1. Methods for checking blood in stool:

1. X-ray barium meal or barium enema examination

Double contrast barium radiography is used to examine the duodenum, jejunum or the entire colon, which is very helpful in diagnosing diseases such as intestinal tuberculosis, Crohn's disease, schistosomiasis, ulcerative colitis, intestinal torsion, intussusception, polyps or cancer.

2. Sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy

Since the rectum and sigmoid colon are common sites for inflammatory lesions, polyps, or cancers, sigmoidoscopy is extremely helpful in diagnosing these lesions. In addition to detecting the above-mentioned diseases, full colonoscopy is also helpful for the diagnosis of hemorrhagic lesions of the descending colon, transverse colon, ascending colon, and cecum. If the colonoscope enters the terminal ileum, it can also help diagnose lesions at the terminal ileum such as tuberculosis, Crohn's disease, lymphoma and other lesions. If combined with biopsy and histological examination, the accuracy of diagnosis can be significantly improved.

3. Abdominal B-mode ultrasound or CT, MRI examination

It has auxiliary diagnostic value for both intermediate and advanced stage colon cancer. If enlarged intra-abdominal or retroperitoneal lymph nodes are found, it will be of reference value for the diagnosis of diseases such as intestinal tuberculosis and lymphoma.

4. Selective angiography

When there is blood in the stool, selective catheterization angiography of the superior and inferior mesenteric arteries can determine the site of bleeding and is also helpful in the diagnosis of diseases such as vascular malformations. Therefore, for patients with unexplained blood in the stool, selective angiography is an essential examination to determine the site or cause of bleeding.

5. Wireless capsule endoscopy

In recent years, wireless capsule endoscopy (also known as capsule endoscopy) examination has begun to be used in clinical practice. The examination is non-invasive, well tolerated by patients, and has no adverse reactions. The capsule is slightly larger than ordinary drug capsules, and is equipped with a flash device and a photographic chip. It takes about 40 minutes for the capsule to reach the pylorus after being swallowed, and it takes an average of 350 minutes to examine the gastrointestinal tract. When the capsule passes through the gastrointestinal cavity, the images it captures are stored in the computer via a remote control receiver signal in the abdomen, and then the clear images are analyzed one by one.