Service

Colonoscopy — examination & prevention.

Colonoscopy is the most accurate examination to detect bowel cancer early or to remove precursors such as polyps right away. We perform it gently — pain-free, with sedation. The sedation cost is covered by statutory health insurers.

Who is the examination for?

Preventive screening from age 45 — often earlier if there is a family history.
Changed bowel habits, visible blood in the stool, persistent diarrhoea or constipation, unexplained weight loss, persistent abdominal pain.
After a positive FIT or Haemoccult test.
Routine check after polyp removal or with chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

How does a colonoscopy work?

The examination itself usually takes 20 to 30 minutes. With admission, sedation and observation, please plan around two hours for the visit. You sleep gently throughout — you will not notice a thing.

Conspicuous polyps we remove directly during the examination, so a second session is not needed. You receive the written report immediately. If tissue samples are taken, they go to the histology lab — the histology report usually arrives within about 10 days.

Preparation — step by step

Preparing for the colonoscopy — video by Dr Tonninger-Bahadori — Prefer a video? We have briefly summarised the key points of the preparation — feel free to watch it more than once, at your own pace.

The notes below are general guidance. What applies is the written preparation schedule you receive at appointment booking — that document contains the exact product of the bowel-prep solution and the precise timing for you.

3–5 days before

Avoid foods high in fibre: wholegrain bread, muesli, grains, nuts, dried fruit, fruit with seeds (berries, grapes, kiwi).
Avoid red-coloured foods (tomato juice, beetroot) — they can be mistaken for blood during the examination.
Blood-thinning medication (e.g. Marcoumar, Sintrom, Eliquis, Xarelto, Pradaxa, Plavix, ASA): please discuss with us in advance. Some need to be paused or switched several days ahead.

Day before the examination

Breakfast and lunch light: white bread, jam, clear soup, boiled rice, lean light meat.
From midday/afternoon please drink the bowel-prep solution according to the schedule you have received from us.
From that point on only clear liquids: water, clear broth, clear apple juice, tea without milk.

Day of the examination

Come on an empty stomach. Clear liquids are allowed up to 3 hours before the appointment — but no coffee, no black tea. Nothing to eat.
Comfortable clothing — ideally trousers you can briefly take off (no dress). Please leave jewellery and valuables at home.
Taxi, public transport or an accompanying person for the way home — due to the sedation you must not drive for 24 hours and should not make important decisions.
Bring: e-card, current medication list, existing reports.
Referral: please bring it at check-in, not first on the examination day.

After the examination

Light meals on the examination day.
For 24 hours: no driving, no alcohol, no operating machinery.
For stronger abdominal pain, bleeding or fever: please contact us immediately. If we cannot be reached, please dial 144 (Vienna emergency services).

Common mistakes in the preparation

Do not dilute the powder more than indicated. Dissolve it in exactly 150 ml of water — not in “a glass of water” (a normal drinking glass already holds 200–250 ml).
Do not drink a lot of water before starting the preparation. It dilutes the bowel-prep solution in the gastrointestinal tract and makes it less effective.
After taking the solution, wait 30 minutes before drinking further fluids.
“Clear broth” means clear and transparent. No soup with vegetables, noodles or pieces of meat.

Insurance & cost

We bill all statutory health insurers (ÖGK, BVAEB, SVS, KFA) as well as private. The sedation cost for gastro- and colonoscopy has been covered by the insurers since 2018.

The preventive colonoscopy is part of the Austrian screening programme and has long been recommended from age 45. The costs have been covered by the statutory insurers since 1 October 2025.

Worth watching — patient information series of the Vienna Medical Chamber

Three short videos by the Vienna Medical Chamber from the series “Check your bowel. Save your life.” — we link to them because they explain the topic clearly and matter-of-fact.

What is bowel cancer? — patient information video, Vienna Medical Chamber — What is bowel cancer? (German)

Why is prevention so important? — patient information video, Vienna Medical Chamber — Why is prevention so important? (German)

What happens during a colonoscopy? — patient information video, Vienna Medical Chamber — What happens during a colonoscopy? (German)

Appointment or question?

Appointment: +43 1 890 56 72 Request a callback

Tip: download consent and history forms in advance and bring them filled in — saves time on the examination day.