Posted by The thought of having an endoscope passed through your anus, up your rectum and into your colon can be dreadfully intimidating, but with colon cancer being such a widespread disease that has claimed its victims with few symptoms and warning signs, taking the uncomfortable test has proved most effective in the prevention and diagnosis of various medical problems related to the colon. And the good news is, in this technologically advanced world we live in today, now your doctor can colonoscopize you, without the insertion of an invasive tube between your hams, well, mostly.
Thanks to medical imaging technologies, physicians can do a full colon exploration while viewing the images in near real time on the screen. A virtual colonoscopy provides 3D reconstructed endoluminal views of the bowel without the use of a colonoscope. VC is a procedure used to look for signs of pre-cancerous growths, called polyps; cancer; and other diseases of the large intestine. The old system for diagnosis and treatment was discovery with a series of x-rays, or more commonly referred to as a lower GI. However, those images have proven insufficient to detect and prevent tiny polyps in their early cancerous stages. Today, with the advent of medical imaging technology, doctors are able to catch and treat colon cancer at the onset.
In most cases, a colonoscopy procedure takes no more than 30 minutes, but the VC will take only about 10, and the examination does not require sedatives. (Whether or not that’s a good thing is debatable.)
Here’s a quick breakdown of how the procedure would go:
• The patient is placed in a supine position on the examination table
• A thin tube is inserted into the rectum (sorry, can’t avoid it completely), so that air can be pumped through the tube in order to inflate the colon for better viewing.
• The table moves through the scanner to produce a series of two-dimensional cross-sections along the length of the colon. A computer program puts these images together to create a three-dimensional picture that can be viewed on the video screen.
• The patient remains conscious throughout the session, and may be asked to participate with the steadying of the images by taking in a deep breath and holding for a few seconds.
• The scan is then repeated with the patient lying in a prone position.
After the procedure the patient may resume normal activity, but if abnormalities are found and the patient needs conventional colonoscopy.
Be warned though, that just because the colonoscope isn’t going in, doesn’t mean you get to avoid what’s got to come out beforehand. While preparations for VC can vary, you will usually be asked to take some laxatives or suppositories one day before the procedure to clear stool from the colon.
Colonscopy patients have reported that the preparation time is the worst of the ordeal, but that the actual procedure is performed quite quickly and comfortably. Finally, the American Cancer Society recommends the test at age 50 and again at age 60.
