ACR Education Center in Reston – CT Colonography (2024)

FAQs

How long is a CT colonography good for? ›

The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends that women and men undergo screening for colon cancer or polyps beginning at age 45. As part of its recommendation, ACS suggests CT colonography as an option once every five years.

Virtual colonoscopy is also known as screening CT colonography. Unlike the usual or traditional colonoscopy, which needs a scope to be put into your rectum and advanced through your colon, virtual colonoscopy uses a CT scan to take hundreds of cross-sectional pictures of your belly organs.

Your bowel needs to be empty for the test so you have to follow a special diet for a couple of days beforehand. Usually a low fibre or liquid diet. You'll be given instructions about what you need to do. Before the test you take a laxative or a special liquid called gastrografin.

What is virtual colonoscopy? Virtual colonoscopy is a procedure in which a radiologist uses x-rays and a computer to create images of your rectum and colon from outside the body. Virtual colonoscopy can show ulcers, polyps, and cancer link.

Although the carbon dioxide used to inflate your bowel is absorbed quite quickly following the procedure, some minor abdominal discomfort may remain for 1-2 hours. Returning to your normal diet and moving around will help ease any remaining discomfort. Pain relief medication may be taken if you wish.

Most commercial insurance providers, Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans cover CTC as a diagnostic test. This is important especially if you have a failed colonoscopy or cannot undergo a colonoscopy due to medical reasons.

Because of the higher participation rates, CT colonography screening for colorectal cancer is more cost-effective than colonoscopy screening.

Colorectal cancer is the 3rd most common type of cancer and the 3rd leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Colonoscopies have long been the standard screening procedure for detecting growths in the colon, but CT Colonography is a comparably accurate, non-invasive alternative.

CTC provides a detailed map of the extent of diverticular disease and the number of diverticula. It provides detailed information on post-acute involvement of colonic segments and allows for the diagnosis of complications such as diverticular stricture or fistula that may require surgical treatment.

While we use general anesthesia in some cases, most of our patients get monitored anesthesia care now for colonoscopies. That means going to sleep in one room and then waking up in the recovery area, in terms of what you might remember about it.

Are you awake for CT colonography? ›

You do not need to be put to sleep for this test. With CT colonography, your doctor can look at your colon from many different angles. You will need to clean out your colon before the test, just like for a colonoscopy. If a polyp is found during this test, you will need to have colonoscopy so it can be removed.

The x-ray department may advise you that you will get the result from your GP. However, your specialist screening practitioner will be aware of when you are having the test and will contact you directly to explain the results once they are available. This is usually within 1 working week of the date of your test.

SUTAB is a sulfate-based tablet colonoscopy preparation that is taken orally in a split-dose administration starting the evening before a colonoscopy. According to its maker, Sebela Pharmaceuticals, the tablets offer a safe and effective alternative to liquid colonoscopy preparations.

Virtual colonoscopy is a special X-ray examination of the colon using low dose computed tomography (CT). It is a less invasive procedure than a conventional colonoscopy. A radiologist reviews the images from the virtual colonoscopy to look for polyps on the inside of the colon that can sometimes turn into colon cancer.

Examines important organs which surround the bowel, helping to exclude cancer and other disorders in the liver, Pancreas, Kidneys, Ovaries, Aorta and Lymph nodes.

Recommended screening strategies include: High-sensitivity guaiac fecal occult blood test (HSgFOBT) or fecal immunochemical test (FIT) every year. Stool DNA-FIT every 1 to 3 years. Computed tomography colonography every 5 years.

Your doctor may recommend that you have another colonoscopy: In 10 years, if you're at average risk of colon cancer and you have no colon cancer risk factors other than age or if you have benign small polyps.

The American Cancer Society advises that most men and women begin screening for colon cancer at age 50. If you have a family history of colon cancer or are at high risk for other reasons, you may need to have screening even earlier. Virtual colonoscopy every 5 years is 1 of several screening choices.