Appearance. Voles, sometimes commonly called meadow mice, are small, ground-dwelling rodents that range from about 5-8 inches long with a body that is more robust than a mouse. They have relatively short legs and tails, and their body fur is brownish and black. The voleâs head is round shaped and the snout is blunt.
Comorbidity must be considered when making recommendations about CRC screening with older patients. In a retrospective study of 404 VA patients over age 75 who underwent colonoscopy and were followed for 5 years, only 8 (2 percent) were diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The majority of patients passed away from other causes. Only age and severity of comorbidity were risk factors for death within 5 years of colonoscopy [3].
In a decision analysis study incorporating age, life expectancy, and comorbidities in Medicare patients eligible for screening colonoscopy (i.e., no colonoscopy in prior 10 years), the authors found that in men and women aged 75-79 with no comorbidities, the number of life years saved was 459 and 509, respectively, per 100,000 colonoscopies; among patients with 3 or more comorbidities, there was no benefit [4]. Complications of colonoscopy occur more frequently in elderly patients.