Re: Re:Virtual colonoscopy accurate and less invasive

[Guest guest]

I agree, Pat, neither procedure sounds like fun; however, the virtual

colonoscopy described here has a few important advantages: it's faster and

cheaper than optical colonoscopy, there is no perforation risk, and there is

no sedation risk.

While it's true that, if they find abnormalities, a traditional colonoscopy

would have to be done, in this study that was true for only 6% of the study

subjects.

In addition, the virtual colonoscopy detected serious abnormalities in other

areas of the body in 9% of the subjects. Those problems would not have been

found with optical colonoscopy.

Of course, you are right that it's a matter of personal choice.

Not an MD

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org

[ ] RESEARCH - Virtual colonoscopy accurate and " less

> invasive "

>

>

> Virtual colonoscopy accurate and 'less invasive'

>

> By Harper

> THE WASHINGTON TIMES

> October 19, 2006

>

> Here's welcome news for anyone alarmed by a standard " optical "

> colonoscopy,

> the oft-dreaded and unpopular exam for colon cancer that yields an

> accurate

> diagnosis, right along with patient discomfort and embarrassment.

>

> Three-dimensional computed tomography colonography -- or virtual

> colonoscopy -- is getting high marks from the Radiological Society of

> North

> America, which is lauding both the procedure's accuracy and appeal.

> Simply

> put, there is no 52-inch " scope " involved, and no sedation.

>

> Colonoscopy dread is common: Fewer than 40 percent of all Americans 50

> or older have been screened, according to the Centers for Disease Control

> and Prevention. The virtual method, which combines CT scan and

> computerized

> visual enhancement, could be enough to " entice " those who might be at

> risk,

> the society said.

>

> " Our goal is not to take patients away from existing strategies like

> optical colonoscopy, but rather to attract those who are currently not

> being

> screened at all, " said Dr. J. Pickhardt, associate professor of

> radiology at the University of Wisconsin Medical School in Madison.

>

> Dr. Pickhardt compared the two methods in a study of more than 1,110

> people whose average age was 58.

>

> " The advantages of virtual colonoscopy over optical colonoscopy at our

> institution are that it is safer, faster, less costly, more convenient,

> involves an easier bowel prep, and yet is just as effective for detecting

> important polyps and cancers, " he said.

>

> Dr. Pickhardt's research found that only 6 percent of the patients who

> underwent a virtual colonoscopy required a subsequent conventional

> colonoscopy. The two methods were " in agreement " in 65 of those 71

> patients.

>

> The virtual method produces up to 1,000 precise, three-dimensional

> images of the colon's interior, minus the lengthy scope. There is

> " essentially no risk of bleeding or of perforating the colon, " Dr.

> Pickhardt

> said. There also is no need for intravenous sedation, and the " attractive

> screening tool " costs less than conventional colonoscopy does, he said.

>

> " Providing a less invasive, yet equally effective screening option like

> virtual colonoscopy has drawn many adults off the sidelines, " Dr.

> Pickhardt

> said.

>

> The researchers also coordinated insurance coverage for the screenings,

> demonstrating " enormous potential for increasing compliance for

> colorectal

> cancer prevention, " Dr. Pickhardt said.

>

> More than 150 insurance companies nationwide cover the cost of the

> procedure, but the companies are " highly selective, " depending on a

> person's

> coverage limits, according to Cancer Consultants, an Idaho-based consumer

> research group. People who finance the procedure out of pocket can expect

> to

> pay $600 to $1,600, the group said.

>

> Colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer deaths in

> the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. It estimates

> that 107,000 new cases will be diagnosed this year, resulting in 55,000

> deaths.

>

> Dr. Pickhardt's study was released yesterday by the cancer society and

> published in the medical journal Radiology. Virtual colonoscopy also

> received positive reviews in similar research conducted in the past two

> years at the National Institutes of Health, the National Naval Medical

> Center and Walter Army Medical Center.

>

> In addition, the procedure has yielded surprise benefits. It has picked

> up " clinically important extracolonic findings, " according to a study

> last

> year at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. Virtual colonoscopy revealed

> kidney cancers, abdominal aneurysms and other serious conditions in 45

> out

> of 500 patients who underwent the procedure.

>

> " That's a fairly large percentage, " said Dr. Judy Yee, the center's

> chief of radiology and lead investigator.

>

> Meanwhile, the American College of Gastroenterology has not yet given

> its blanket approval of virtual colonoscopy for routine screening. But

> the

> land-based group yesterday pronounced capsule colonoscopy -- in which

> the patient swallows a jelly bean-sized video camera that records

> thousands

> of images -- a " promising new tool for colon cancer screening. " The group

> will release complete research findings on Monday.

>

>

>

http://insider.washingtontimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20061019-122136-3\

377r

>

>