CT Colonography Alternative for Older Patients Who "Can't" Undergo Traditional Colonoscopy

by Barbara Kram, Editor | May 08, 2007

CT colonography (CTC) is well tolerated by older patients and is successful in imaging the entire colon, in the vast majority of patients, despite presence of diverticular disease and colonic redundancy, according to a study conducted by researchers from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, PA.

"Many of the many referred for CTC were older patients who had experienced problems with conventional colonoscopy," said Anna Lev-Toaff, MD, lead author of the study.

The study consisted of 42 patients, age 60 and up. Twenty-nine percent of these patients were referred to CTC because conventional colonoscopy was contraindicated while 71% were referred because colonoscopy was incomplete, most commonly due to diverticular disease and colonic redundancy.

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According to the study, successful imaging of the entire colon was achieved in 90% of the patients and no complications were observed. As might be expected given the history in these older patients, 93% of the patients had positive findings on CTC such as: diverticular disease and one or more polyps. Extracolonic findings were also commonly identified, with 62% having findings that could require further radiologic investigation, follow-up or medical or surgical treatment was needed in 25% of the patients.

"We were pleasantly surprised at the success rate in imaging the entire colon in these challenging patients," said Dr. Lev-Toaff. "Additional imaging was often required to optimally image the colon, most commonly imaging while the patient is lying on the right side to distend the left colon," she said.

The full results of the study were presented on Monday, May 7, 2007 during the American Roentgen Ray Society Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla.

The American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) is a highly respected peer-reviewed monthly radiology journal published by the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS). For almost 100 years, the AJR has been recognized as one of the best specialty journals in the world. The ARRS and AJR are named after Wilhelm Röentgen, who discovered the x-ray in 1895. For more information, visit www.arrs.org.