Abstract:Objective To investigate pediatric colonoscopy procedures and the associated changes in the disease spectrum. Methods The clinical data of 1 087 children who underwent pediatric colonoscopy at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University and Yili Prefecture Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University from January 2012 to December 2022 were retrospectively collected. Patients were divided into 0‑3 (n=165), 4‑6 (n=307), 7‑10 (n=275) and 11‑14 (n=340) years groups according to their age, and also divided into two time periods according to the examination time point, 2012‑2017 (n=302) and 2018‑2022 (n=785) groups. Indicators that were observed and analyzed included the primary reasons for colonoscopy, types and proportions of abnormalities, distribution of cases and symptoms by period and age group, and disease diagnosis and treatment before and after colonoscopy. Results A total of 1 238 colonoscopies were completed in 1 087 children. Blood in the stool was the most common cause (337/1 087, 31.00%). The most abnormalities were found in intestinal polyps (190/1 087, 17.48%) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (181/1 087, 16.65%), as well as in 95 cases (95/1 087, 8.74%) who were confirmed autism and requested colonoscopy placement for fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). There were differences in case distribution and symptoms among different age groups: polyps were most common in the 0‑3 years group (75/165, 45.45%), and IBD was most common in the 11‑14 years group (97/340, 28.53%). Compared with 2012‑2017, during 2018‑2022, the proportion of colonoscopies for polyps in children decreased [from 49.67% (150/302) to 5.10% (40/785), P<0.001], while the proportion for IBD increased [from 12.25% (37/302) to 18.34% (144/785), P=0.016], and autism requiring colonoscopic duct placement for FMT increased [from 2.32% (7/302) to 11.21% (88/785), P<0.001]. Conclusion Pediatric colonoscopy plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric diseases. With the increasing clinical application demands, diversified procedures such as pre‑FMT colonoscopic duct placement are becoming important directions for the future development of pediatric colonoscopy.