Radiologists at Lowville, N.Y.-based Lewis County General Hospital are using new virtual colonoscopy technology through using a CT scanner to produce a 3D image of a patient's colon, according to WWNYTV.
Here are the key details to know:
1. Rob Pfeiffer, director of medical imaging at Lewis County General Hospital, said the technology allows the hospital to screen more patients who don't want to have a regular colonoscopy or aren't able to have one.
2. Mr. Pfeiffer explained to WWNYTV that virtual colonoscopy provides an internal view of the colon without having to use a scope.
3. Patients don't have to be put under with anesthesia for the procedure. Radiologists inflate the colon with air with a flexible tube smaller than a scope.
4. The procedure takes 30 minutes, and patient can go home sooner than traditional colonoscopies.
5. If patients are at high risk for colon cancer, they should have a regular colonoscopy rather than a virtual one, according to WWNYTV's interview with Lewis County General Hospital clinicians.
6. Some insurance companies do not authorize the procedure unless the patient has had past trouble with colonoscopies.