Free gas in the peritoneal cavity after colonoscopy. Indication for immediate action or incidental finding in imaging tests after uncomplicated colonoscopy? Literature review.

Colonoscopy is a routine diagnostic and therapeutic procedure. Along with the increase in the complexity of the procedures performed, the risk of complications increases. In 2017, WSES (World Society of Emergency Surgery) published the principles of safe colonoscopy. Intestinal perforation is one of the most common complications. The risk of perforation in treatment procedures such as mucosectomy or endoscopic dissection is significantly greater than the risk of diagnostic colonoscopy. The basic rule of the procedure in case of suspected perforation is close supervision over the patient's condition and the soonest possible repair of damage. The role of the endoscopist is not only early recognition, but also early treatment of damage. Immediate endoscopic treatment of lesions is an effective, final and acceptable management strategy. In patients who have undergone imaging diagnostics for another reason, free gas in the peritoneal cavity can be recognized. It does not have to mean the need for urgent surgical intervention. Patients with asymptomatic pneumoperitoneum after colonoscopy should, however, be treated as patients with suspected perforation of the large intestine and undergo careful clinical observation in accordance with WSES recommendations. Colonoscopy is a procedure with a risk of complications, which should be reported to patients qualified for endoscopy, but appropriate management reduces the risk of morbidity and mortality associated with this procedure.