Dear AuntMinnie Insider,
The elderly are getting more attention lately as candidates for virtual colonoscopy, and rightly so. Patients can lead longer, healthier lives when advanced lesions and cancers are found and removed. Studies have shown a high incidence of important extracolonic findings in the elderly. And for the frail elderly in particular, a less invasive exam than colonoscopy seems prudent.
But what about the cathartic bowel prep, recommended for optimal results in both VC and optical colonoscopy? Can it harm some elderly patients, and if so, how should these individuals be managed?
For answers, researchers from Ireland looked at a cohort of elderly patients who were monitored carefully before and after the bowel prep. See what they found in this issue's Insider Exclusive story, brought to our subscribers before it turns up on the general site.
In breaking news, ACR Image Metrix, a Philadelphia-based for-profit arm of the American College of Radiology (ACR) of Reston, VA, said it will conduct a multiuser study to determine whether computer-aided detection (CAD) improves virtual colonoscopy results. Image Metrix will work with Nashua, NH-based iCAD to support the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's approval of iCAD's CAD software, according to the ACR.
Also in this issue, researchers from Madison, WI, modeled the still controversial practice of polyp surveillance in patients with lesions measuring 6-9 mm in diameter. You'll find their results here.
Polyp localization remains a challenge in virtual as well as optical colonoscopy. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health had a good idea about landmarks a couple of years ago, and advanced the concept for a recent study in Radiology. Navigation using teniae coli, three bands of smooth muscle extending from the cecum to the sigmoid colon, worked well for most regions of the colon, they found.
Last but not least comes an intriguing story that links an English couple in history with a large number of contemporary colon cancers in the U.S. Find this and more in your Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community.
