Virtual colonoscopy shows value for some patients, but some polyps will be missed, according to research conducted by the Plymouth Meeting, PA-based ECRI Institute that compared the effectiveness of VC (also known as CT colonography) to colonoscopy.
The report, called "Computed Tomographic (CT) Colonography for Colorectal Cancer Screening and Diagnosis," suggests that CT colonography is most promising for screening asymptomatic, average-risk patients. The technique, however, may miss some important polyps and cancer that would have been detected by colonoscopy. For asymptomatic, high-risk patients and symptomatic patients, the percentage of patients correctly identified as having colorectal polyps or cancer may be too low to be useful with the technology.
According to ECRI's report, in nine research studies analyzed by the institute, CT colonography correctly identified between 86% and 95% of asymptomatic, average-risk patients with large polyps and cancers that were identified by colonoscopy, and between 76% and 95% of symptomatic patients with large polyps and cancers.
ECRI Institute is an independent, nonprofit organization that researches the best approaches to improving patient care.
Related Reading
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Automated polyp measurement cuts variability, May 21, 2008
Accuracy of polyp measurements depends on CT values, February 21, 2008
Colon polyps accurately measured using automated and manual 3D techniques, January 5, 2007
Reading method, insufflation affect polyp measurements, November 4, 2005
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