Dr. Lee was born in Shanghai, China, and received his college and medical training in the United States. He is fluent in English and three Chinese dialects. He graduated with chemistry departmental honors from Harvey Mudd College. He was appointed president of AOA society at UCLA School of Medicine. He underwent internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship training at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.
Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Colonoscopy is a procedure that enables an examiner (usually a
gastroenterologist) to evaluate the appearance of the inside of the colon (large
bowel). This is accomplished by inserting a long flexible tube (the colonoscope)
that is about the thickness of a finger into the anus and then advancing the
colonoscope slowly into the rectum and through the colon. The tip of the
colonoscope has a light and a video camera. The inner colon lining can be
directly visualized in images transmitted from the camera to a television
monitor. This traditional method of examination of the colon is called optical
colonoscopy.
In preparation for colonoscopy, the day before the examination the colon is
emptied using laxatives. Immediately prior to colonoscopy, an intravenous
infusion (IV) is started, and the patient is placed on a monitor for continuously
monitoring the rhythm of the heart, blood pressure, and the amount of oxygen in
the blood. Medication usually is given by IV to make the
patient sleepy and relaxed. If needed, the patient can receive additional doses
of medication during the procedure. Colonoscopy often gives a feeling of
pressure, cramping, and bloating; however, with the aid of the medication,
colonoscopy generally is well tolerated and infrequently results in significant
pain. The type of anesthesia caused by the intravenous medications is classified
as conscious sedation and is safer than general anesthesia. With conscious
sedation, patients are sleepy but still arousable, and able to breathe on their
own. After the colonoscopy, patients are asked not to drive for the rest of the
day if medications for conscious sedation were given.
Should there be polyps (benign growths that can lead to
cancer) in the colon,
the polyps, almost always can be removed through the colonoscope. Removal of
these polyps is an important method of preventing colorectal cancer.
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Rectal bleeding (hematochezia) refers to the passage of bright red blood from the anus. Rectal bleeding may be moderate to severe and most bleeding comes from the colon, rectum, or anus. Common causes include anal fissures, hemorrhoids, diverticulitis, and more.
Colon cancer is a malignancy that arises from the inner lining of the colon. Most, if not all, of these cancers develop from colonic polyps. Removal of these precancerous polyps can prevent colon cancer.
A colon polyp is a benign tumor of the large intestine. Benign polyps do not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body. Benign polyps can easily be removed during colonoscopy and are not life threatening. If benign polyps are not removed from the large intestine, they can become malignant over time.
Disease prevention in men includes routine screening tests that are part of basic prevention medicine. Take an active role in your own health care and discuss screening tests with your doctor early in life. Age of screening and timing of screening depends upon the condition being assessed.
Colon polyps are fleshy growths that occur on the inside (the
lining) of the large intestine, also known as the colon. Polyps in
the colon are extremely common, and their incidence increases as
individuals get older. It is estimated that 50% of the people over
the age of 60 will harbor at least one polyp. The significance of
polyps is that we know that when certain types of polyps grow large
enough, they can become cancerous, and, moreover, colon cancer is the
second leading cause of death from cancer in the United Sates.
Therefore, screening for colon polyps and removing them before they
become cancerous should markedly reduce the incidence of colon cancer.
What types of polyps become cancerous?
The polyps that become cancerous are called adenomatous polyps or
adenomas. Adenomas account for approximately 75% of all colon
polyps. There are several subtypes of adenoma that differ prima...
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