Dear AuntMinnie Insider,
The past year has brought new respect and recognition for virtual colonoscopy (VC) as a primary colon screening technique. The preliminary results of the National CT Colonography Trial, unveiled in September, suggest high accuracy for imaging-based colon screening across multiple sites. For practitioners, there is hope that influential medical organizations and the U.S. government will embrace VC screening as well.
The promise of more screening may have contributed to a resurgence of interest in training. Courses across the U.S. and around the world are filling up with physicians interested in learning how to perform VC.
This Insider Exclusive profiles some of the courses that will be making waves this spring. To read the article before the rest of our members can access it, click here.
One goal associated with a wider choice of screening options is increased compliance. A new study shows that four of 10 older adults are not up-to-date with screening guidelines. For people afraid of screening colonoscopy, coaching seems to help.
In others news, Korean researchers report that measurement accuracy depends on the Hounsfield unit values of the lesions at CT.
In computer-aided detection (CAD), a group in the U.K. has found that concurrent CAD reading can speed up interpretation, but the price may be a trend toward reduced accuracy.
For news when you need it on virtual colonoscopy, stay tuned to your Virtual Colonoscopy Digital Community.
![Axial images from unenhanced calcium score cardiac CT (left) and curved planar reformation images from CT angiography (right) show that higher long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with greater coronary artery calcium and more obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Top row: Images in a 68-year-old male patient with higher 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (7.9 μg/m3 for particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] and 17.4 parts per billion [ppb] for NO2) with extensive CAD (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] >1,000 and obstructive CAD [≥70% diameter stenosis]). Bottom row: Images in a 57-year-old female patient with lower 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (6.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 4.6 ppb for NO2) with no CAD (CACS = 0 and no obstructive stenosis).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/06/hanneman.r6SMLzkezo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
