A pilot program aimed at expanding access to virtual colonoscopy (also known as CT colonography or CTC) to rural areas in the southwestern U.S. continues to show good results in patients who need colorectal cancer screening, but lack ready access to conventional colonoscopy.
In results to be presented next week at the 2009 American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) meeting in Boston, Dr. Arnold Friedman and colleagues from the University of Arizona in Tucson found that 77 of 86 CTC exams performed to date were technically adequate. The exams were performed by specially trained CT technologists who transmit the CTC datasets back to Tucson for interpretation.
"Most centers have CT machines modern enough to do these exams but do not have the resources to perform optical colonoscopy screening," Friedman told ARRS. "This is an excellent model for rural centers."
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Navajo Nation gets remote virtual colonoscopy screening, April 18, 2008
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