[Virtual Colonoscopy. Experience in 500 patients].

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Radiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Colorectal cancer screening is crucial for early detection.
• Conventional Colonoscopy (CC) is the gold standard but can be invasive.
• Virtual Colonoscopy (VC) offers a less invasive alternative.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the experience and results of Virtual Colonoscopy (VC).
• To determine the sensitivity and specificity of VC compared to CC.
• To assess VC's efficacy in detecting colorectal lesions of various sizes.

Main Methods:

• A prospective blind study involving 500 patients with risk factors for colorectal carcinoma or adenomas.
• VC performed using helical and multislice CT scanners.
• Comparison of VC findings with Conventional Colonoscopy (CC) as the gold standard.

Main Results:

• VC identified more normal studies (253) than CC (233).
• Sensitivity and specificity for lesions >= 5 mm were high: 95.6% and 91.4% (5-9 mm), and 100% and 100% (>= 9 mm).
• Sensitivity and specificity for lesions < 5 mm were 87.8% and 86.9%.

Conclusions:

• Virtual Colonoscopy (VC) is a feasible and useful method for complete colon evaluation.
• VC is well-tolerated, complication-free, and highly sensitive/specific for elevated lesions >= 5 mm.