Good Samaritan offers CT Colonography Screening. This form of screening
is also known as Virtual Colonoscopy, and uses low dose radiation CT scanning
to obtain an interior view of the colon. Our providers then examine these
images for colorectal cancer and precancerous polyps.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United
States. Each year, about 140,000 people are diagnosed and 50,000 people
die from colorectal cancer. Most colorectal cancers begin as small polyps
on the colon surface. Virtual colonoscopy can find these polyps while
they are small and harmless and also identify cancers early when they
are most treatable.
How accurate is Virtual Colonoscopy?
Virtual colonoscopy is comparably accurate to a standard colonoscopy for
people at average risk for colorectal cancer. That is most people. Those
at high risk for the disease due to a family history or other factors
should have the standard colonoscopy.
Who should have a Virtual Colonoscopy?
The American Cancer Society (ACS) and other medical organizations recommend
that those at average risk for colorectal cancer begin screening at 45.
Virtual Colonoscopy is an ACS recommended screening exam to be done every
five years for those at average risk. The virtual exam may also be an
option for those at an increased risk who can't physically tolerate a
colonoscopy.
What are the risks and benefits compared to traditional colonoscopy?
Virtual colonoscopy uses low radiation dose equal to about a year of radiation
we all get from environmental sources. Long-term risk of low-dose radiation
is unclear. However, the American Association of Physicists in Medicine
considers risk from dose levels, such as those used in the virtual exam,
to be very small.
In traditional colonoscopy a long tube (colonoscope) is maneuvered from
the rectum to the beginning of the colon. There is a small risk of colon
perforation from this — approximately 1 patient per 1,000 standard
colonoscopies. In virtual colonoscopy, only a very small flexible tip
is placed into the rectum to gently inflate the colon. The risk of perforation
from the virtual colonoscopy is far lower.
Traditional colonoscopy is most often performed with sedation, which carries
risk of allergic reaction and other side effects. Virtual colonoscopy
does not require sedation. Most patients can go back to their daily activities.
Unlike standard colonoscopy, the virtual exam can detect unsuspected medical
problems outside the colon. While only 1 in 300 patients who get screening
virtual colonoscopy will have colon cancer, up to 1 in 200 patients have
been shown to have an unsuspected kidney, lung or lymph node cancer.
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