Dear AuntMinnie Insider,
This week's U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hearings on CT radiation exposure have unexpectedly roiled the waters of virtual colonoscopy, a low-dose screening exam that was the focus of a medical device reviewer's complaints.
A San Diego gastroenterologist and former FDA medical device reviewer testified that he had charged the agency with retaliation after he repeatedly declined to approve a virtual colonoscopy product -- unless it carried a label warning doctors about the procedure's radiation dose.
The gastroenterologist's dramatic testimony quickly spread from the New York Times to other media outlets concerned about the grave new dangers discovered in virtual colonoscopy. But as the University of Chicago's Dr. Abraham Dachman told ABC News, the 2- to 3-mSv dose from a single VC scan at his center is less than a year's background radiation in Chicago.
"The theoretical risk of a 50-year-old contracting any cancer due to radiation from a lifetime of CT colonography scans is one in 500,000 to 1,000,000," Dachman said. "The certain risk of a 50-year-old contracting colon cancer due to lack of screening is greater than one in 1,000. Place your bets, please."
In other news, one of the largest VC studies ever reported found plenty of unexpected cancers in its apparently healthy asymptomatic screening subjects. In line with previous studies, most of the malignancies were early stage and easily treated.
Meanwhile, researchers in Italy found that diverticular disease, for which virtual colonoscopy can be quite useful, is easier to diagnose on prone versus supine images.
The same group, from the University of Pisa, found great success with an open-source software program that color codes and enhances 2D VC images, rendering polyps more conspicuous and increasing sensitivity as a result. The study is featured in this issue's Insider Exclusive, brought to our Insider subscribers before it is made available to other AuntMinnie.com members.
Meanwhile, radiologists from Ireland took a good hard look at the risk of bacteremia from virtual colonoscopy, and came up with not much. And another group test-drove its new one-day cleansing protocol.
But wait, there's more! We invite you to scroll down for the rest of the news in your Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community.
