Culture - Colonic Tissue Biopsy
Alternate Names : Colonic Tissue Culture
Definition
A colonic tissue culture is a laboratory test performed on a specimen of colon (large intestine) tissue to isolate and identify organisms that may be causing certain infections (e.g., infectious diarrhea, parasitic and viral infections involving the colon).
The specimen is obtained by a colonoscopy. A colonoscopy is a procedure for viewing the interior lining of the large intestine (colon) using a colonoscope, a flexible fiber-optic tube about 1/2 inch thick.
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Why is the Test Performed?
The culture is performed to detect and identify certain infections which can affect the colon, especially when other tests (such as stool culture) have been unable to identify an underlying infection.
A colonoscopy may also be performed for other reasons (such as to identify certain forms of cancer or other diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease).
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