United Press International, May 24, 2007WASHINGTON -- May 24 In one out of every 1,000 to 2,000 colonoscopies, doctors inadvertently perforate -- or puncture -- the colon, according to a U.S. researcher. Most of these patients need urgent surgery to close the wound and need to spend 10 days in hospital, according to researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. One in 10 dies, usually because delays in closing perforations allow colon contents to leak into the abdominal cavity, causing deadly conditions such as peritonitis and sepsis. However, in a series of animal studies, principal investigator G.S. Raju has developed a technique for closing perforations promptly after they are recognized by using clips or sutures that can be inserted through the anus via endoscope, thus avoiding invasive surgery.