Dec 7, Virtual Colonoscopy
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It is currently recommended that all adults over the age of fifty begin to have routine colonoscopies to check for polyps or colon cancer. The preparation for the test can be difficult, at best, and the procedure is uncomfortable for a number of people. If only there were a non-invasive way to find out if there are colonic polyps without the hassle of the colonoscopy itself.
Fortunately, this non-invasive test has become available to anyone whos insurance covers it, or, can pay to have the procedure preformed. Its called a virtual colonoscopy. This relatively new procedure uses a small tube that is inserted into the rectum wich blows air into the colon to inflate it. This helps produce a higher quality image. A CT scan is used for the virtual colonoscopy which is preformed while you are lying on your back first and then your stomach. It takes 3D pictures of the colon and finds polyps with the lumen of the colon if they are present.
The CT scan takes the 2D images that it captures and a computer turns those images into a 3D rendering of the colon. Consequently a clear view of the colon is created for the doctors to observe. The CT scanner has great resolution and can pick up even small polyps. When the renderings are turned into 3D, the imagery is excellent and you can find just about any lesion in the colon.
What the 3D images on virtual colonoscopy reveal are polyps that often turn cancerous. Actual colon cancer can be visualized as well. The downside of virtual colonoscopy includes the fact that if a polyp is found, the doctor must do a routine regular colonoscopy in order to biopsy or remove the polyp from the colon. The virtual colonoscopy is only time saving if you have no polyps and have a clean colon.
The preparation for a virtual colonoscopy is easier than a regular colonoscopy. You need a low residue or clear liquid diet as well as a laxative to clear out the bowels. The doctor decides which diet is best, the low residue or clear liquid. You must take a tagging agent that provides contrast within the colon. The CT Scanner performs an electronic cleansing to wipe out any traces of stool in the colon on the imagery so the images turn out much nicer.
No sedation is required for the virtual colonoscopy. You dont have to be put to sleep and can leave the virtual colonoscopy place without having to get a ride or wait until the colonoscopy medications wear off. You can eat and resume normal activity shortly after you have the procedure.
What a Virtual Colonoscopy Entails
You first get a CT scan that is done on your back and then on your stomach. The scans take less than a minute to do, they are basically just getting your anatomy straight. Then you inflate the colon using a small tube inserted into the rectum. You will feel full but usually no pain when the colon is inflated. Then you are ready to go ahead and have the scan. The CT scan is done on your back and on your stomach. Your arms will be above your head so that they dont interfere with abdominal pictures. You can then leave and the computer does all the rest.
Advantages of a Virtual Colonoscopy
- The preparation is more comfortable to perform than a regular colonoscopy
- The results are very accurate and specific
- You have options other than the regular colonoscopy
- The test is relatively noninvasive
- The test takes very little time You get to go home and go about your regular activities after
- You dont need to be sedated for this colonoscopy
- It is much cheaper than a regular colonoscopy
- It encourages compliance in most patients
The major downside of the procedure, as mentioned, is that, if you find a polyp, the person must go through a regular colonoscopy to evaluate the polyp. Virtual colonoscopy is a good test for those who are reluctant to go through the total colonoscopy procedure.
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Excerpt from: Dec 7, Virtual Colonoscopy
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