Virtual colonoscopy gets new standards

Dear AuntMinnie Member,

The lack of accepted standards for reporting results from virtual colonoscopy studies has been one of the thorny issues hampering more widespread dissemination of VC as an effective colon-screening tool. That could be changing, however, as a group of virtual colonoscopy researchers has released recommendations on defining the VC findings that guide patient management.

The new standards, dubbed C-RADS, were announced at last week's International Symposium on Virtual Colonoscopy in Boston. Staff writer Eric Barnes was there to cover the story for our Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community.

The C-RADS standards cover the three main areas of virtual colonoscopy reporting: describing the target lesion, classifying lesions and suggesting follow-up, and reporting findings outside the colon. Supporters of the standards hope they will become as successful as the BI-RADS guidelines for mammography reporting, and will help standardize what has been a patchwork of reporting approaches to virtual colonoscopy.

Read all about C-RADS, as well as other reports from the symposium, in our Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community, at vc.auntminnie.com.