balancing your life while providing senior care

Benefits Virtual Colonoscopy Procedures Offer

Virtual colonoscopy is an alternative to traditional colonoscopy to screen individuals at risk of colorectal cancer. Rather than directly looking at the colon through a colonoscope to identify colorectal polyps or other abnormal growths, a radiologist evaluates images of the colon using x-ray images produced by a CT (computerized tomography) scan or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan. If you are a candidate for this type of colonoscopy and your health insurance will pay, in addition to being a less invasive procedure, virtual colonoscopy offers several other benefits.

1. Shorter recovery time. Virtual colonoscopy does not require intravenous sedation during the procedure, which leads to a shorter post-operative recovery. Following a traditional colonoscopy, you usually receive instructions limiting your driving and physical activity for the remainder of the day. That's because the sedation a doctor administers to make you sleepy during a regular colonoscopy can slow your reflexes and impair your judgment.

   Some individuals also have adverse reactions to the sedatives. But since you aren't sedated for a virtual colonoscopy, you can drive yourself home or back to work after having the procedure.

2. Fewer potential risks. Since the procedure does not require the gastroenterologist to insert a colonoscope and advance it through the whole length of the colon, virtual colonoscopy puts you at a lower risk of potential complications, such as perforating the bowel (making a hole or tear in the lining of the colon). If you elect virtual colonoscopy, the radiologist will insert a shorter tube into the rectum to inflate the large intestine with air to make it easier to see the colon with x-ray imaging. Although rare, infections related to traditional colonoscopy can occur when a contaminated colonoscope transmits bacteria.

3. Anticoagulation therapy. If you take anticoagulant medications (blood thinners), depending on your INR (international normalized ratio), it may be necessary to stop the medicine a few days before a traditional colonoscopy. INR is a measure of how thick or thin your blood is.

   If lab tests show that your blood does not clot quickly, you may be at risk of heavy bleeding if the doctor does a biopsy or removes a polyp during a regular colonoscopy procedure. Virtual colonoscopy does not require stopping blood thinners or anti-platelet medications prior to the procedure.

4. Broader view of the pelvis. With virtual colonoscopy, the doctor is able to take a look at the entire bowel, not just the bowel lining. The two- and three-dimensional x-ray images give the radiologist the ability to see outside of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Consequently, the procedure can detect lesions in other areas of the abdomen.

5. Takes less time. Although preparation for virtual colonoscopy requires the same steps as regular colonoscopy, it takes only a few minutes to get x-ray images of your colon – generally 10 to 15 minutes. Regular colonoscopy can take 30 to 45 minutes or longer in addition to the time it takes to administer IV sedation and monitor you afterward. Since you aren't sedated for the procedure, you don't have to wait until the effects of the sedative wear off before you can go home. Contact a company like Clinical Gastrointestinal Associates, PC for more information.