Colonoscopy with Dr. Vosko: Preventing Colorectal Cancer with HD Technology and International Standards
Colon cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, but it is also one of the most preventable. Most tumors start as a benign polyp (a small growth on the bowel wall) that develops slowly over years.The colonoscopy examination is the global "Gold Standard". It allows Dr. Vosko not only to see the entire length of the intestine using an HD camera but to prevent the disease by detecting and removing polyps during the same session, even before they become dangerous.
Dr. Vosko, Director of the Advanced Endoscopy Unit at Hadassah and a member of the international ACE research group, performs the test to the highest standard (High Definition Endoscopy). The examination is conducted under deep sedation (pain-free), allowing you to have true peace of mind knowing that your health is entrusted to the most experienced hands.
Age 45 and over?
Don't wait for symptoms. Schedule a life-saving test today.
Who is this exam for?
The test is intended for both the healthy population as a screening test and for patients with symptoms requiring investigation.
Key Indications:
- Screening: Recommended for every man and woman starting at age 45, even without any symptoms.
- Family History: If a first-degree relative has had colon cancer or polyps, surveillance begins at a younger age (usually 40 or 10 years before the relative's diagnosis age).
- Bleeding: Appearance of blood in stool, rectal bleeding, or black stool.
- Change in Bowel Habits: New constipation, prolonged diarrhea, or a change in stool shape lasting over two weeks.
- Anemia: Decrease in hemoglobin (iron deficiency) without a clear cause.
- Abdominal Pain: Investigation of chronic pain, weight loss, or suspicion of inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn's/Colitis).
Many patients ask about non-invasive screening tests. It is important to understand the difference: other tests are statistical or diagnostic only. Colonoscopy is the only one that enables treatment and prevention.
In colonoscopy, the physician's skill is measured by a parameter called ADR (Adenoma Detection Rate) - the polyp detection rate.
- Expertise in Complex Resections (EMR): Dr. Vosko specialized in Sydney in removing large and flat polyps ("Serrated Lesions") that other doctors tend to send for surgery. With him, even a complex finding is treated endoscopically.
- High-End Equipment: Use of high-resolution colonoscopes and advanced screens that allow detection of minute changes in the mucosa.
- Research Approach: As a member of the ACE research group, Dr. Vosko implements rigorous scanning techniques ensuring full coverage of the intestinal walls ("Blind Spots Awareness").
- Personalization: Each patient receives personal preparation suitable for them; the examination is performed with great gentleness, under personalized sedation, to ensure easy and pain-free awakening.
Don't gamble with your health. This test saves lives.
Dr. Vosko invites you for a professional, safe, and discreet examination.
How is the treatment carried out?
How is the consultation conducted?
The examination takes about 20 to 40 minutes, depending on the bowel structure and number of findings:
- Sedation: The anesthesiologist or gastroenterologist administers a sedative through the vein. You will sink into a deep and pleasant sleep and feel nothing.
- The Examination: A colonoscope (a flexible and thin tube) is inserted through the rectum. The doctor navigates it gently to the beginning of the large intestine (the cecum).
- Withdrawal and Scanning: The main examination is done on the way out. The doctor scans the walls strictly, inflating a little air (or carbon dioxide which absorbs quickly) to open the folds.
- Treatment: If a polyp is found, it is removed using an electric loop (painlessly, the intestine has no sensory nerves). The polyp is sent for pathological examination.
How should I prepare for treatment?
How should I prepare for the consultation?
The Key to Success:
Good preparation is critical. If the intestine is not clean, the doctor may miss findings and even schedule a new date if the bowel is not empty.
- Diet (3 days before): Low-fiber diet (no fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts). Allowed: Chicken, fish, white rice, white bread, eggs, dairy products.• Day before the test: Switch to a clear liquid diet (clear broth, tea, jelly).
- Bowel Emptying: Drinking a laxative preparation (such as Picosalax or Meroken) according to the exact instructions you will receive from the clinic. Tip from Dr. Vosko: Chill the liquid and drink with a straw to ease the taste.
- Fasting: Absolute fasting 3 hours before the test (including water).
Our customer service will send you organized, personalized, and clear instructions to ensure the test results.
What to expect the day after? (Recovery and recuperation)
- Recovery: Rest for about half an hour at the institute until the sedation wears off.
- Sensations: You may feel bloating or gas – this is completely normal (the introduced air is released). Light walking helps release this.
- Eating: You can return to eating immediately after the test (a light meal initially).
- Driving: Driving is strictly prohibited on the day of the test due to sedation. You must arrive with an escort.
Are there risks or side effects?
Colonoscopy is a very safe test performed millions of times a year. Complications are rare:
- Bleeding: May happen after removing a large polyp (immediately or up to two weeks later). Usually stops on its own or is treated endoscopically.
- Perforation: Extremely rare risk (about 1:1,000 therapeutic tests), sometimes requiring hospitalization or surgical repair. In skilled hands, the risk is minimal.
Information for patients from abroad (medical tourism)
The unit is equipped to receive international patients and collaborates with agents for a full logistical envelope.Direct inquiries are also welcomed for rapid and efficient coordination.
We offer rapid and efficient Screening services for tourists and international patients:
- One-Stop-Shop: Performing Gastroscopy and Colonoscopy in the same session (under the same sedation) to save time.
- Rapid Results: Report in English/Russian immediately after the test.
- Technology: Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve polyp detection.
For your convenience, Dr. Vosko is trilingual, speaking Hebrew, English, and Russian.
Will I be completely asleep?
We use deep sedation (Deep Sedation), administered by an anesthesiologist or a specialist gastroenterologist. Most patients sleep throughout the entire procedure, feel nothing, and wake up with no memory of the event.
How long does it take for the laxative to take effect?
This varies from person to person, but in most cases, the effect begins within 30 minutes to 3 hours after drinking the first dose. Therefore, it is recommended to stay near restroom facilities from the start of drinking until departing for the clinic.
Why not just have a virtual colonoscopy (CT) and be done with it?
Virtual colonoscopy is a good test, but it is diagnostic only. If a small polyp is detected (which is common), you will need to repeat the preparation and undergo a standard colonoscopy to remove it. With standard colonoscopy, we both diagnose and treat in the same procedure (One Stop Shop).
I have my menstrual period on the day of my procedure. Should I cancel?
There is no need to cancel. Colonoscopy can be performed during menstruation without any medical or hygienic concern. You may use a tampon if you wish. Our medical team is fully accustomed to and professional regarding this matter.
Is this embarrassing? I am worried about exposure.
We strictly maintain patient privacy. You will receive special disposable pants with a small opening at the back, and you will be covered with a sheet during all times before and after the procedure. Only the doctor and nurse are present in the examination room, and the atmosphere is professional and respectful.
The cecum - the beginning of the large intestine and the target site of the examination. Reaching the cecum indicates a complete examination ("Complete Examination").
Advanced light technology that highlights blood vessels and tissue changes, supporting accurate diagnosis of the gastrointestinal mucosa and early detection of cancer.
Medication-induced sedation administered intravenously. Unlike general anesthesia (with artificial respiration), here the patient breathes independently but is asleep and does not feel pain or anxiety.
A more innovative method compared to virtual colonoscopy: the patient swallows a tiny capsule with a camera, which transmits images from the intestine. The procedure is comfortable and non-invasive, but less accurate, more expensive, and does not permit treatment.
For this reason, we do not perform this test and recommend undergoing endoscopic colonoscopy.
An imaging test performed using CT that does not involve insertion of an endoscopic device through the entire colon. It enables identification of polyps or tumors, but does not allow for treatment or biopsy. Therefore, if a finding is detected, a complementary endoscopic examination is necessary.
For this reason, we do not perform this test and recommend undergoing endoscopic colonoscopy.
Colonoscopy is an endoscopic examination of the colon, allowing the physician to view the inner lining of the colon using a small camera located at the tip of a flexible tube. The examination is intended to diagnose symptoms such as bleeding, abdominal pain, prolonged diarrhea or constipation, as well as to serve as a screening tool for the early detection of polyps and colon cancer. During the procedure, it is also possible to remove polyps or take tissue samples (biopsies) for microscopic examination.
The procedure is usually performed under mild sedation and is considered very safe and highly effective in preventing colon cancer through early detection and immediate treatment of findings.
Gases in the digestive system are manifested as belching (expulsion of gas through the mouth) or flatulence (expulsion of gas through the rectum).
Most people produce between half a liter and one and a half liters of gas each day, and release gas up to 14 times a day.
This is a normal and natural bodily phenomenon. In most cases, the emission of gas is odorless, but there are cases where an unpleasant smell is released. Additionally, the presence of gas may cause abdominal bloating and pain, and those who experience it slightly above the average amount may suffer considerably and even feel a decrease in quality of life. Proper and accurate treatment of gastrointestinal gas can greatly assist in reducing gas, abdominal bloating, and abdominal pain.
In patients fifty years and older, the possibility of colon cancer is usually also considered. This is also the case if there are prior cases of gastrointestinal cancer in the patient’s family. This matter is especially important in cases where the patient has never undergone an examination of the colon, such as sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy (endoscopic examinations of the lower gastrointestinal tract).
Rectal bleeding, also known as blood in the stool, refers to the passage of fresh, bright red blood through the anus. The amount of blood may be small or large.
In any case of bleeding in the stool, it is important to monitor the bleeding, its duration, frequency, and severity. When the bleeding is prolonged and involves significant blood loss, this may be life-threatening and you should contact your physician for evaluation and appropriate treatment.
The blood may be visible in the stool, in the toilet bowl, or on toilet paper. Mild bleeding typically appears as a few drops of fresh, red blood.
When bleeding is accompanied by pain, it often indicates that the source of the problem is at the anus.
Symptoms include the passage from the anus of red or reddish-brown blood and blood clots.
The color of the blood in the stool depends mainly on the location of the bleeding within the digestive tract. The closer the bleeding site is to the anus, the brighter red the blood will be. Therefore, bleeding from the rectum, anus, and lower part of the colon tends to be bright red, while bleeding originating from the upper parts of the colon - the right or transverse colon - is usually darker red or brown. In upper gastrointestinal bleeding, the stool color will be brown or black.
The common causes of this type of bleeding can be grouped as follows:
• Diseases of the anus and rectum, such as anal fissures, hemorrhoids, and ulcers.
• Rectal bleeding may be mild and result from constipation and the passage of hard stool through the anus.
• Anatomical (structural) problems - mainly the presence of "pockets" (known as diverticula or diverticulosis) in the colon, which can cause problems with blood supply to the bowel (ischemia).
• Tumors such as colorectal cancer.
• Inflammation of the bowel - for example, due to infection or radiation exposure - as well as inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
• Following invasive procedures such as colonoscopy during which polyps were removed or a biopsy was taken.
• Abnormal superficial blood vessels in the bowel wall (angiodysplasia).
• After pelvic radiation therapy for malignancy, for example in the prostate gland.
A biopsy is a medical procedure in which a small sample of tissue is taken from the body for microscopic examination in a laboratory.
The purpose of the test is to identify cellular changes, determine whether the process is inflammatory, infectious, or tumorous, and to help the physician choose the most appropriate treatment. The sample can be taken from various locations in the body – for example, from the stomach during gastroscopy, from the skin, from the liver, or from other areas – depending on the clinical suspicion.
The procedure is usually performed under local anesthesia or as part of an endoscopic examination, and it is considered safe and simple.
Polyps are small growths that develop into the lumen of the small intestine, colon, stomach, esophagus, and other organs. There is a wide variety of polyps, and some may even develop into cancerous tumors.
The larger the surface area of the polyp, the more complex its removal becomes. One of the innovative methods for removing large polyps is Polypectomy by endoscopic mucosal resection, which can replace surgery in some cases. This technique uses a fluid, such as saline, injected beneath the polyp in order to lift and isolate it from the surrounding tissue.
Dr. Vosko performs polyp removal using advanced equipment, state-of-the-art knives, cutting-edge technology, optimal and high-definition visualization, and the integration of extensive experience and skill, all of which increase the likelihood of complete removal of the polyp or lesion along with improved and quicker recovery chances.
Dr. Sergei Vosko is the head of the Endoscopic Unit at Hadassah and formerly the founder of the Department for Advanced Endoscopic Resections at Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh Hospital). Performs diagnostics, treatments, and surgeries using Advanced Endoscopy and artificial intelligence.
To schedule an examination, you can contact our customer service
A technique that originated in Japan in the early 2000s for the endoscopic removal of early-stage stomach tumors. In the past decade, the method has also spread to Western countries and has recently become available in Israel.
The majority of malignant tumors in the gastrointestinal tract begin as precancerous lesions that develop in the most superficial layer of the gastrointestinal wall - the mucosa. As the tumor grows, it begins to invade deeper layers of the bowel wall, and from there it may spread to nearby lymph nodes and send metastases to more distant areas of the body.
The accepted treatment for these precancerous lesions is resection through an endoscopic procedure.
The advantages of this method over other resection techniques such as EMR include the ability to remove lesions of any size in a single piece, which allows for thorough pathological examination of the specimen and accurate assessment of the risk of lymph node metastasis according to the depth of tumor invasion into the submucosa.
All procedures involved in this method are performed under anesthesia or sedation, through an endoscope inserted via the mouth or rectum, without surgical incision.
Initially, the tumor boundaries are marked through the endoscope, and then fluid is injected beneath the tumor directly into the submucosal layer, to allow separation of the tumor from the deeper layers of the wall. After making a circumferential incision around the tumor area, Dr. Sergei Vosko will cut the submucosa with a special knife that separates the tumor from the surrounding tissues. Once the tumor has been completely removed, it will be sent for pathological laboratory examination.
Dr. Sergei Vosko, head of the Endoscopy Unit at Hadassah Medical Center and founder of the Department of Advanced Endoscopic Resection at Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh Hospital), performs examinations, treatments, and procedures using Advanced Endoscopy and artificial intelligence.
To schedule an examination, you may contact our customer service
A polyp is a benign (non-cancerous) growth in the digestive system. There are several types of polyps. A polyp called an adenoma may develop into cancer.
Polyps can be found throughout the digestive tract but are more common in the colon.
Statistics show that 20-50 percent of people over the age of 50 will have colon polyps.
Diarrhea is a medical condition characterized by the passage of loose or liquid stools with increased frequency, typically more than three times a day, and sometimes in larger volumes than usual. Diarrhea can be caused by poor nutrition, bacterial, viral, or parasitic infections, gastrointestinal inflammation, non-gastroenterological diseases, use of various medications, or psychological stress.
Pathophysiologically, diarrhea results from one or more of the following mechanisms: impaired absorption of water and electrolytes in the intestine, increased secretion of fluids into the intestinal lumen, accelerated intestinal motility, or damage to the intestinal mucosa.
Clinically, diarrhea is classified by duration:
- Acute Diarrhea: Lasts up to 14 days, usually due to infection.
- Persistent Diarrhea: Lasts between 14 and 30 days.
- Chronic Diarrhea: Lasts over 4 weeks, and is often related to inflammatory bowel diseases, functional disorders, or malabsorption issues.
Diarrhea may be accompanied by additional symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating and gas, fever, blood or mucus in the stool, unexplained weight loss, and signs of dehydration. The clinical significance and the need for medical investigation depend on the duration of the symptom, its severity, the patient's age, and the presence of warning signs.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder of the digestive system rather than a structural organic disease. This means that imaging, endoscopy, or laboratory tests typically do not reveal a clear pathological finding, despite the presence of significant symptoms.
Patients with IBS may report a wide range of symptoms, including recurrent abdominal pain, bloating, excessive gas, diarrhea, constipation, or a combination of both, and sometimes nausea and persistent abdominal discomfort. Symptoms tend to vary in intensity and character over time and are often exacerbated after eating.
Pathophysiologically, the syndrome is linked to a disturbance in the brain-gut axis, visceral hypersensitivity, changes in intestinal motility, and sometimes alterations in the gut microbiota. In many cases, psychological factors such as stress, pressure, and anxiety have a significant impact and can trigger or worsen symptoms.
Diagnosis is based on clinical criteria after ruling out other organic diseases, especially in the absence of "red flag" warning signs such as gastrointestinal bleeding, unexplained weight loss, or anemia. Treatment includes pharmacological, dietary, and sometimes psychological interventions.
We are with you - from the very first call, we understand that on the other end of the line is a person who may be concerned or in pain, waiting for answers. Therefore, we have built a service system that truly sees you:
- High Availability: A live service center is active Sunday-Thursday from 09:00 AM to 07:00 PM and on Fridays from 09:00 AM to 02:00 PM. In urgent cases, we are available beyond these hours.
- Direct WhatsApp Line: Do you have a question about fasting? Did you forget to ask something about your medications? Our customer service is available via WhatsApp for a quick response.
- Peace of Mind from Bureaucracy: Our team is highly experienced in working with insurance companies and supplemental health plans. We will assist you in preparing the necessary paperwork and authorizations so that you can focus entirely on your health.
Colonoscopy pricing
★ Approx. 40 min test.
★ Detection and identification of pathologic findings in the lower gastrointestinal tract, including inflammation, precancerous and cancerous growths, sections and lesions.
★ Using advanced optics technology (HD, Virtual Chromoendoscopy).
★ Removal of polyps, biopsy and patological evaluation - at an additional cost and in accordance with the findings.
★ If there are any pathologic findings, a biopsy is sent to an external laboratory at an additional charge of 350₪.




