Dear AuntMinnie Insider,
Virtual colonoscopy researchers in Germany have set their sights on rats. Their animal experiment turned out to be a good way to examine very small lesions in a highly controllable cohort.
With the aid of a 3D VIBE technique and a knee coil, Dr. Christoph Herborn and colleagues from the University of Essen performed dark-lumen MR colonography in 14 male Wistar rats. The tiny subjects got Buscopan, they got anesthesia, they got intravenous contrast, and they even got bowel cleansing before imaging.
MRI showed high sensitivity and specificity for colorectal lesions, which improved even more with the addition of digital subtraction. In the process, the group developed a workable model for future colonography studies in small animals. You'll find our Insider Exclusive story here, made available to our subscribers before other AuntMinnie members can access it.
Another European group is making news in today's Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community. Dr. Hanno Hoppe and colleagues from the University of Bern in Switzerland examined 100 patients with virtual colonoscopy and second-look conventional colonoscopy, using a segmental unblinding technique to verify the accuracy of both CT and the conventional exam.
Also of note in this issue, a new study from the New York University Medical Center adds weight to accumulating evidence that virtual colonoscopy finds extracolonic abnormalities, even with a low-dose protocol.
Finally, there's still time to register for the 5th International Symposium on Virtual Colonoscopy, coming up October 28-29 in Boston. Visit the conference listings in our Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community for more information on this important forum.
