Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Debate continues over whether 2D or 3D is the best method for primary viewing of virtual colonoscopy exams. But a new study gives 3D the advantage in one important area of polyp assessment -- measuring polyp size.
The study found that measuring polyp size in 3D was more accurate than several 2D methods, in patients as well as phantoms, according to an article by staff writer Eric Barnes in our Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community. One 2D method underestimated polyp size in nearly all cases, while the 3D method was nearly twice as accurate.
The authors provide some explanation for the differences, and discuss how those using 2D polyp measurements can substantially improve their accuracy. Get the details by clicking here, or simply visit our Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community at virtual.auntminnie.com.
Also in today's VC Digital Community, French researchers have found that focal colonic FDG uptake on PET/CT justifies performing colonoscopy to detect malignant and premalignant lesions. Follow-up colonoscopy revealed clinically significant lesions in 75% of the patients and 67% of the focal FDG findings detected on coregistered PET/CT, according to the article by contributing writer N. Shivapriya.
For its part, the CT component of the exam helped prevent confusion between abnormal focal uptake and normal physiologic activity, which can be a problem when PET is used alone in the large bowel. Go straight to the story by clicking here.
