Duration: 5 seconds

A CT colonography (or virtual colonoscopy) exonerates the patient from the fear and pain of the use of an invasive tube to carry out the exam, as this type of scan has the ability to check the existence of polyps in the colon in just 5 seconds.

Virtual colonoscopy is a rapidly developing, non-invasive technique, which is used as an alternative to the conventional endoscopic colonoscopy for the detection of polypoid lesions in the colon, while also having the ability to detect tumors.

The ultra-modern sixty-four slice spiral CT enables us to visualize the entire colon, in just 5 seconds and without anesthesia, all the while avoiding the tedious process of conventional colonoscopy for the imaging diagnosis.

In CT colonography (or virtual colonoscopy), the computer reproduces a three-dimensional model of the interior of the abdomen and pelvis, which the radiologist then uses to see the colon with clarity and precision, “virtually traveling” through it.  For the exam to be "successful," cleansing of the bowel is required through a specific preparation process.

The advantages of CT colonography are:

• It is a minimally invasive examination with less likelihood of bowel perforation in comparison to endoscopy. It should also be noted that, more importantly, the cases of perforation of the intestine due to conventional colonoscopy, often result in surgery or even death, compared to the corresponding CT colonography.
• It is bearable for the patient due to the fact that a colonoscope is not used.
• It can visualize the entire colon, even in instances where this is not possible through the conventional endoscopic procedure. CT colonography is particularly useful in patients for whom conventional colonoscopy is not advised (anticoagulation treatment, conditions that increase risk factors due to sedation) or was not completed.

CT colonography is suggested for:

• People with blood in their stool. The most common sources of blood are hemorrhoids and fissures, however these are not taken as a given if other causes for the bleeding in the distal part of the intestine have not been ruled out, since the characteristics of bleeding are exactly the same.
• Patients who suffer from iron-deficiency anemia without obvious blood loss in both men and women, especially after menopause, even when there are no symptoms. Latent blood hemorrhage is common due to cancer or polyps at the beginning of the intestine.
• People with a recent onset of symptoms in the lower digestive system that need to exclude lesions in the colon (change of stool rate and consistency, pain, etc).