Colonoscopy in Nonagenarians Is Safe and May Be Associated with Clinical Benefit

OBJECTIVES: Data regarding colonoscopy in patients older than 90 years old is scarce. Yet the number of colonoscopies done on nonagenarians is rising. We aimed to determine the yield, safety, and therapeutic benefits of colonoscopy in these patients. DESIGN: Case-control study of older patients who underwent colonoscopy. SETTING: Gastroenterology institute at an academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Patients older than 90 years (n = 128) compared with patients aged 80 to 89 years (n = 218) who underwent colonoscopy. INTERVENTION: Colonoscopy. MEASUREMENTS: Indication for the procedure, completion rates, adequacy of preparation, complications, colonoscopic findings, 30-day mortality, advanced adenoma and carcinoma detection rate, treatment, and long-term survival of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer. RESULTS: Mean ages were 83.3 and 92.2 years old. Nonagenarians were more likely to undergo a colonoscopy while hospitalized (56.2 vs 23.4%; P < .001) and to undergo the examination due to rectal bleeding or sigmoid volvulus (35.2 vs 25.2 and 10.9 vs 0.5%, respectively; P < .001) and less likely for surveillance or constipation (11.7 vs 25.7 and 0 vs 6.9%, respectively; P < .001). Completion rates and severe adverse events were comparable. The 30-day mortality was 3.9% in nonagenarians and 0.4% in octogenarians (P = .02). Advanced adenomas and carcinoma were more common in nonagenarians (25.8 vs 16.5%, P = .03, and 14.8 vs 6.4%, P = .01, respectively). Increasing age, inpatient status, past polypectomy surveillance, and anemia were associated with higher rates of carcinoma. Half of the nonagenarians diagnosed with adenocarcinoma underwent surgery compared with 100% of octogenarians (P = .01). Among nonagenarians with colorectal cancer who died, mean survival was 605 (interquartile range = 11-878) days in those who underwent surgery and 112 (48-341) in those treated conservatively (P = .055 log-rank test). CONCLUSION: Colonoscopy in nonagenarians has a high yield and is generally safe. Colonoscopy findings lead to surgery in more than half of these patients and was associated with a median survival of 20 months.