Colonoscopy in Spanish

What it means

A colonoscopy is a procedure in which a doctor uses a flexible tube with a camera on one end, called a colonoscope or scope, to look inside the rectum and colon. Before the exam you follow bowel prep instructions: the bowel prep clears the stool out of your colon so the doctor can see the colon during the procedure, and it involves taking laxatives and sometimes a clear liquid diet. The procedure is done at a hospital or outpatient center and usually takes 30 to 60 minutes. You get sedatives or anesthesia through an IV, and afterward you need someone to drive you home. During the exam the doctor may remove polyps or do a biopsy. In Spanish the term is colonoscopía, also written colonoscopia.

Spanish term: Colonoscopía
Gender and article: feminine: la colonoscopía
Pronunciation: koh-loh-nohs-koh-PEE-ah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
colonoscopia	General	Spelling without the written accent; NIDDK uses it throughout its Spanish page, and MedlinePlus en español uses it in the text under its Colonoscopía heading.

Colonoscopía, with a written accent on the i, is the heading of the MedlinePlus en español health topic page, while the text of the same page writes colonoscopia without the accent, the spelling NIDDK also uses. The word is feminine: la colonoscopia, una colonoscopia. The instrument is el colonoscopio, which NIDDK also calls endoscopio.

Words for the day before the exam: bowel prep is preparación intestinal, a clear liquid diet is dieta de líquidos claros, and laxatives are laxantes. For stool, NIDDK writes materia fecal and MedlinePlus en español writes heces. On the day itself, MedlinePlus en español speaks of sedantes o anestesia por vía intravenosa (IV sedatives or anesthesia), and NIDDK of una aguja intravenosa (IV). Polyps are pólipos and a biopsy is una biopsia. For the ride home, MedlinePlus en español says necesitará que alguien lo lleve a casa (you will need someone to take you home), and NIDDK calls the place where the exam is done un centro ambulatorio (an outpatient center).

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Clinician	Your colonoscopy is scheduled for Tuesday at eight in the morning.	Su colonoscopía está programada para el martes a las ocho de la mañana.
Patient	When do I have to start the clear liquid diet?	¿Cuándo tengo que empezar la dieta de líquidos claros?
Clinician	The day before, and please avoid red or purple drinks and gelatin.	El día anterior, y por favor evite las bebidas y gelatinas rojas o moradas.
Clinician	The laxative will cause diarrhea, so stay close to a bathroom.	El laxante le causará diarrea, así que permanezca cerca de un baño.
Patient	Should I stop taking any of my medicines before the procedure?	¿Debo dejar de tomar alguno de mis medicamentos antes del procedimiento?
Clinician	We will give you a sedative through an IV so that you do not feel pain.	Le pondremos un sedante por vía intravenosa para que no sienta dolor.
Patient	My daughter is going to drive me home afterward.	Mi hija me va a llevar a casa después.
Patient	When will I get the biopsy results?	¿Cuándo me darán los resultados de la biopsia?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Colonoscopy
Spanish (Español)	Colonoscopía
Chinese (中文)	大腸鏡檢查
Korean (한국어)	대장 내시경
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Nội soi đại tràng
Filipino (Tagalog)	Colonoscopy
Portuguese (Português)	Colonoscopia
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	การส่องกล้องลำไส้ใหญ่
Japanese (日本語)	大腸内視鏡検査

Where you'll see it

chartprocedure reportEOBbillreferral

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Digestive system

All terms in this area: Digestive system — Sistema digestivo

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.