Virtual Colonoscopy
Alternative Names:
Colonoscopy - virtual
What the risks are:
- Radiation exposure
- Nausea, vomiting, bloating, or rectal irritation caused prep medications
Special considerations:
Differences between virtual and conventional colonoscopy include: - Virtual colonoscopy uses no sedation, and patients are usually able to resume normal activities immediately after the test. Conventional colonoscopy involves sedation, and usually the loss of a work day.
- If a polyp is found with virtual colonoscopy, the patient must have a conventional colonoscopy to remove the abnormality. Conventional colonoscopy allows for the immediate removal of polyps .
- Both procedures can spot polyps that have reached a large, worrisome size. However, virtual colonoscopy is not as detailed as a conventional colonoscopy, and may miss polyps smaller than 10 millimeters in diameter or flat lesions.
- Virtual colonoscopy is not currently recommended as a screening tool for the early detection of colon cancer. Routine screening for colon cancer involves conventional colonoscopy, as well as other tests.
References:
Virtual Colonoscopy, The Medical Letter, February 14, 2005; 1202:15 Van Dam, J. et al. CT Colonography. Gastroenterology. 2004; 127: 970-984 Lieberman, D. Colonoscopy: Good as Gold? Ann Intern Med. 2004; 141: 401-403 Pickhardt, P. et al. Location of Adenomas Missed by Optical Colonoscopy. Ann Intern Med. 2004; 141:352-359
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