Stool test could end unnecessary colonoscopies

Thousands of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) could avoid unnecessary colonoscopies if the MBS funds a simple stool test that can accurately rule out inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), gastroenterologists say.

The $80 point-of-care faecal calprotectin test accurately differentiates between IBD and IBS, but many gastroenterologists are still not using it because there is no MBS item for the test, according to a new study.