Differences between genders in colorectal morphology on CT colonography using a quantitative approach: a pilot study

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Gastroenterology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Understanding colonic morphologic variations is crucial for interpreting imaging studies.
• Previous research has not extensively quantified gender-specific differences in colonic metrics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively compare morphologic colonic metrics between genders.
• To assess the reproducibility of these quantitative measurements.

Main Methods:

• Computed Tomography Colonography (CTC) datasets from 40 individuals (20 male, 20 female) were analyzed.
• Quantitative colonic metrics were measured twice by two independent readers.
• Intra- and inter-reader reliability were assessed using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and concordance correlation coefficient (CCC).

Main Results:

• Women exhibited significantly lower colonic volume, increased tortuosity and compactness, and reduced sigmoid apex height compared to men (p<0.0001).
• Quantitative colonic metric measurements demonstrated high reproducibility (ICC=0.9989, 0.9970; CCC=0.9945).

Conclusions:

• Significant, reproducible quantitative morphologic differences exist between male and female colons.
• These findings can enhance the interpretation of colonic imaging and inform clinical practice.