General
information on Virtual Colonoscopy is available here, as well
as information on our activities at Boston Medical Center
surrounding this exciting new screening tool.
Virtual Colonoscopy is a new method that allows doctors to
look at the large bowel (colon) to detect polyps and cancers. Polyps
are small growths in the colon that may become cancerous if they
are not removed. Virtual Colonoscopy is a recently developed
technique that uses a CT scanner and computer virtual reality software
to look inside the body without having to insert a long tube (Conventional
Colonoscopy) into the colon or without having to fill the colon
with liquid barium (Barium Enema).
Research performed at Boston University and elsewhere has shown
that Virtual Colonoscopy is better able to see polyps than Barium
Enema and is nearly as accurate as Conventional Colonoscopy. In
addition, most patients report that the Virtual Colonoscopy technique
is more comfortable than either Barium Enema or Conventional
Colonoscopy.
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