Dear AuntMinnie Insider,
As virtual colonoscopy edges closer to acceptance as a mainstream screening technique, more potential practitioners are taking notice.
A November 2006 report by the American Gastroenterological Association Institute said the organization is paying close attention to the development of CT colonography as a potential colorectal cancer screening technique, and that it is developing a CTC training program for its members.
Now, the Reston, VA-based American College of Radiology is weighing in on behalf of radiologists. In an interview with AuntMinnie.com, ACR executive director Dr. Harvey Neiman talks about the organization's plans to contribute significant resources to the training and education of ACR members in virtual colonoscopy.
Plans include a state-of-the-art hands-on training center, and broad-based collaboration with the organizers of VC's biggest meeting, the International Symposium on Virtual Colonoscopy (to be held October 15-17 in Boston). Find out what's in store for colon screening in this issue's Insider Exclusive story, brought to you before other AuntMinnie members can access it.
Also new today, VC was able to finish the job after failed colonoscopy, according to researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. And a study from Germany concluded that it's safe to wait five years after polypectomy for the next follow-up, offering hope that potential complications from colonoscopy can be minimized.
From the University of Nagoya in Japan, a new eigenvalue-based computer-aided detection scheme yielded relatively high sensitivity combined with a low number of false positives. In another study, Korean researchers took a stab at eigenvalue-based CAD, which could potentially do a better job of finding polypoid lesions than other methods.
Scrolling down you'll find stories on how to prevent colon cancer in the first place, all in your Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community.
