Special hospital
How to prepare for examination: • The patient should be on light fluid diet (clear soups, clear juices, teas, crackers, margarine, and jam without seeds) two days before the examination. Vegetables, cereals, milk or cooking oil is not allowed. • In the evening before the examination day, the patient takes laxatives (Fortelax, Fortrans…) for complete cleaning of the colon. • Take your complete documentation. • The every-day therapy should not be stopped. • Women should report a possible pregnancy.
„Filip Vtori“ CT COLONOGRAPHY – VIRTUAL COLONOSCOPY
CT colonography, i.e. 3D virtual colonoscopy is the newest method for noninvasive examination of the colon by using X-rays. It is a computer generating postprocessing technique for obtaining endoluminal images of the inside of the colon with excellent quality, and it represents a true simulation and substitute for optical colonoscopy.
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Why and when to perform? The goal of the virtual colonoscopy is early detection of lesions in the colon for their timely elimination, before developing into cancer. Risk groups are all people with familial history of polyps, colorectal cancer and blood in the stool. Other indication is diverticulosis, and it is the method of choice in patients with previous unsuccessful optical colonoscopy.
Positive sides of the method: • Minimum invasive type of colon examination • Examination with short duration • Very comfortable for the patients • Lower risk of perforation • Ideal alternative method for risk patients for optical colonoscopy.
How is the procedure performed? The procedure is relatively fast and painless; it is performed twice in few minutes: in prone and supine position; in asthmatic patients only air is insufflated through a rectal catheter. The scanning last 10-20 seconds. In symptomatic patients, it is preferable to give intravenous contrast agent (mostly through a hand vein), in order to obtain better visualization of the possible tumor, as well as the correlation between the tumor and the surrounding organs, blood vessels and lymph nodes.
Negative sides: Impossibility for simultaneous biopsy in case of detected pathologic change