Dear AuntMinnie Insider,
As ultralow-dose CT scanning continues to steer healthcare agendas around the world, computer-aided detection (CAD) in virtual colonoscopy may finally be ready to come along for the ride.
Generally, virtual colonoscopy studies acquired with as little as 1 to 3 mSv of radiation take a little more effort to interpret than standard-dose exams -- particularly in 3D, where artifacts, image noise, polyps, and residual matter don't look all that different to human readers or CAD.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston are trying a couple of new tricks to make CAD perform better in this difficult environment. At the recent Computer Assisted Radiology and Surgery (CARS) meeting in Berlin, the solution boiled down to a surface-preserving denoising algorithm. Get the rest of the story in this issue's Insider Exclusive.
On the polyp side of things, a new study from France argues against the surveillance of small (6- to 9-mm) polyps, concluding that the prevalence of advanced histology in its cohort made the controversial practice too risky. Still, the authors found no cancer: Learn more by clicking here.
Scroll down for more, and be sure to stay tuned to your Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community for important news about radiology's whole colon exam.
