Virtual Colonoscopy As Good as the Conventional Kind, Study Says

CT colonography (CTC), known as virtual colonoscopy, is as accurate at screening for colorectal cancers and pre-cancerous polyps as conventional colonoscopy, the current screening standard, according to the National CT Colonography Trial, a nationwide multicenter study that included the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC). "This is a landmark study," says study co-author Dr. Judy Yee, chief of radiology at SFVAMC and professor and vice-chair of radiology at the University of California, San Francisco. "It demonstrates that CTC is a practical alternative to other, more invasive methods of colon cancer screening. The hope is that these results will encourage more health care payers to cover screening CT colonography." The study appears in the September 18, 2008 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.