Safety of preoperation endoscopic tattoo with india ink for identificationof colonic lesions

Background: Colonic tattooing with india ink is a widely practiced techniqu e regarded as safe, accurate, and reliable. In this series, the largest rep orted, the safety of this technique is studied. Methods: A retrospective study of 8,125 consecutive patients who undersent colonoscopy over a 64-month period was conducted. India ink colonic mucosal tattooing was used for either preoperative marking or future endoscopic id entification of a lesion. Results: During the study, 195 patients underwent endoscopic injection of i ndia ink. Of these, 50 patients were marked before surgery, and 145 underwe nt marking with the intent of facilitating future endoscopic localization, Patients were followed by either telephone interviews or physical examinati on, None of the patients developed fever, persistent abdominal pain, or abd ominal tenderness on examination. All surgeons were interviewed. They unifo rmly reported the tattoo as intensely visible and of great utility in locat ing the lesions. Conclusions: Preoperative mucosal tattooing with india ink is recommended a s a safe and necessary procedure.