Clinical researchers consider a number of factors when investigating potential pathways for improved diagnostic tools of the future. Is the technology less-invasive? Is it more accurate? At the University of California San Francisco, computed tomography, or CT, may offer a resounding "yes" to both of those questions when it comes to tech that will usher radiology into the future.
CT colonography combines advanced graphical software and scanning technology to enable clinicians to make three-dimensional models of the bowel. What's more, the 3-D render enables users to rotate the image and take it apart to see things that wouldn't be apparent, or accessible at all, using a standard invasive camera.
"You can cut away the parts of what you don't want to see and manipulate it so that you improve what you do want to see," Judy Yee, MD, a UCSF radiologist, said in a statement. "It's a more engaging way to read large data sets. With the added dimension, you can see flat, more dangerous lesions better. As the equipment evolves, it allows us to view the same disease processes in a completely different way so we can improve detection and diagnostic ability and streamline workflow."
Dr. Yee said she believes in the ability of CT colonography to improve the patient experience while producing better results. Her research into CT colongraphy has improved the technology in a number of ways, including reducing the radiation load it carries for patients and increasing the sensitivity of computer-aided detection. Dr. Yee said she is currently working to persuade the American Cancer Society to recommend the CT colonography screenings every 10 years, and to have the procedure covered through Medicare.
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