Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 5/10/2009

Question
Is it common for a patient to be told you are too overweight to complete a colonoscopy? There are more factors than weight to consider, allergy to the anesthetic or increasing the dosage ,right?

Answer
There is no such thing as that (not from the GI or the anesthesia point of view). Now I am assuming we are talking obese but not "crazy" obese [over 500 lbs]). In that case there are various technical difficulties (although it is still possible to do it).


Ronald Levy, MD
Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston