AuntMinnieTV: NIH group applies CAD to virtual colonoscopy

Dear AuntMinnie Member,

Could computer-aided detection (CAD) improve virtual colonoscopy's position as a colon screening alternative to optical colonoscopy? It might, based on research we're featuring in this week's AuntMinnieTV segment.

Researchers led by Dr. Ronald Summers from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, have developed a CAD algorithm for analyzing virtual colonoscopy studies. Their findings were presented at the 2005 Radiological Society of North America meeting.

The group retrospectively analyzed data from the landmark 2003 study on virtual colonoscopy conducted by Dr. Perry Pickhardt et al and published in the New England Journal of Medicine. They found that radiologists using virtual colonoscopy were able to achieve sensitivity comparable to optical colonoscopy in detecting larger polyps, and VC with CAD was almost as good as optical colonoscopy in smaller polyps (those 8 mm and larger) as well.

Learn all about the study by viewing the segment by clicking here. To see the rest of the AuntMinnieTV reports from the RSNA show, check out our RSNA 2005 Video Gallery.