Virtual Colonoscopy: A Less Invasive Alternative?

The ugly truth: the process of a traditional colonoscopy is pretty darn unappealing. The prep (yuk!) and idea of a scope being inserted you-know-where doesn’t set people running to the doctor – in fact, it makes some people run the other direction. But we know colon cancer screenings are essential to nipping colon cancer in the bud (or butt…) before it starts. Could CT (virtual) colonoscopy be the answer to tearing down this potential barrier to screening?

We’re dedicated to staying on the pulse of what’s going in the colon cancer space. As part of this, we were invited to attend Monday’s FDA panel discussion on the use of CT colonography.

Here are the top 5 things you need to know:

• The panel generally backed use of CT colonoscopy in screening asymptomatic patients for colon cancer
• CT colonoscopy could improve screening rates because it’s less invasive, doesn’t require sedation and has a shorter recover time
• Evidence suggests it’s as good as traditional colonoscopy at identifying larger polyps
• Many studies show CT colonoscopy to be less sensitive in identifying polyps less than 6 mm
• CT colonoscopy may have trouble detecting flat or serrated polyps

Read the full MedPage Today article and learn more about screening. Tell us in the comments: Have you had a virtual colonoscopy? How was your experience?