CT colonography (protocol)
Updates to Article Attributes
Body
was changed:
Computed tomographic (CT) colonography, also called virtual colonoscopy (VC), is a powerful minimally invasive technique for colorectal cancer screening.
Indications
- screening test for colorectal carcinoma
- colon evaluation after incomplete or unsuccessful conventional colonoscopy
- to better evaluate the colon proximal to obstructing neoplasms detected by conventional colonoscopy
- patients with contraindications or refusing conventional colonoscopy
Technique
- patient preparation, for optimal image quality, the colon should be clean and completely distended, residual stool and fluid may lead to a false negative or false positive diagnosis
- bowel distension, optimal colonic distention is critical to technical success for proper intraluminal evaluation of the large bowel
Data acquisition and analysis
- CT scanning is ideally performed on a multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scanner in both supine and prone positions with a thin collimation
- data interpretation with the use of two-dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) displays are mandatory for proper evaluation
Findings
- colonic diverticulosis
- colonic polyps
- colorectal carcinoma
- extrinsic lesions impressing the colon
Contraindications
- acute inflammatory conditions such as acute diverticulitis, active stage of ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease
- recent abdominal or pelvic surgery
- general CT contraindications such as pregnancy, claustrophobia, etc
See also
-</ul><h4>See also</h4><ul><li><a title="CT colonography reporting and data system" href="/articles/ct-colonography-reporting-and-data-system">CT colonography reporting and data system</a></li></ul>- +</ul><h4>See also</h4><ul><li><a href="/articles/ct-colonography-reporting-and-data-system">CT colonography reporting and data system</a></li></ul>
Images Changes:
Image 7 CT (3D VC) ( create )
Unable to process the form. Check for errors and try again.