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New Technology Making Colonoscopy More Accurate

The screening test no one likes to talk about, colonoscopy, is getting more accurate, that was the message at a news briefing at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in San Diego.

A routine colonoscopy, a visual inspection of the colon using a special flexible scope, is generally recommended at age 50 to detect cancer and precancerous growths, and earlier if there is a family history or for certain ethnic groups.

One improvement in colonoscopy is a disposable device that is passed through the instrument channel of a standard colonoscope, called the Third Eye Retroscope (TER), which gives physicians a better look at the lesions they may miss with standard screening equipment.

At the meeting, DeMarco presented the results of his study, in which nearly 300 patients underwent colonoscopies using the third eye camera. By using a split screen monitor, DeMarco's team was able to detect which growths were observed due to the camera that wouldn't have been detected with traditional colonoscopy alone. The overall increased detection rate for all adenomas using the third eye device was 16%, with an even greater detection rate for larger growths than smaller ones.

High-definition colonoscopy may detect more lesions than standard ''white light'' colonoscopy, according to researcher Kenneth R. DeVault, MD, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.

As the high-definition equipment was being phased in, DeVault's team assigned 1,200 patients to standard exams and another 1,200 to high-definition exams, then compared the detection rate of adenomas.

Although the newer technologies are not yet widespread, DuVault said it would make sense for patients scheduling a colonoscopy to at least ask their doctor about the availability of high-definition colonoscopies.

Source: WebMD

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