February 15, 2009

Virtually no news about virtual colonoscopy questions

Posted By

Comments

Please note, comments are no longer published through this website. All previously made comments are still archived and available for viewing through select posts.

Jules elias

February 15, 2009 at 12:42 pm

Virtual colonoscopy has a role in those individuals who because of anatomical obstructions, such as adhesions, preclude the standard approach. However, a recent report in JAMA showed that 1 in 1200 recipients of a CAT Scan have a significant increase in radiation induced disease. One has to always weigh the risks and benefits of any medical decision.

Rob

February 15, 2009 at 3:17 pm

Why don’t people ever mention that a virtual colonoscopy requires an enema? The idea that it is “less invasive” doesn’t equate with “it’s more comfortable.” Here is a description of the procedure from the National Digestive Diseases clearinghouse website:
How is virtual colonoscopy performed?
Virtual colonoscopy is performed wherever the CT scanner or MRI unit is located—usually in the radiology department of a hospital or medical center. The procedure takes about 10 minutes and does not require sedation.
* Patients will lie face up on a table.
* A thin tube will be inserted through the anus and into the rectum. For CT, carbon dioxide gas will be pumped through the tube to expand the large intestine for better viewing. For MRI, contrast media will be given rectally to expand the large intestine.
* The table will move through the CT scanner or MRI unit to produce a series of cross-sectional images of the colon.
* At various points during the procedure, the doctor may ask patients to hold their breath to steady the images.
* The procedure will be repeated while patients lie face down.
Um….I think I’ll drink the jug and be sedated for the colonoscopy, thank you.

COMMENTS button We welcome comments, which users can leave at the end of any of our systematic story reviews or at the end of any of our blog posts.

But before leaving a comment, please review these notes about our policy.

You are responsible for any comments you leave on this site.

This site is primarily a forum for discussion about the quality (or lack thereof) in journalism or other media messages (advertising, marketing, public relations, medical journals, etc.) It is not intended to be a forum for definitive discussions about medicine or science.

We will delete comments that include personal attacks, unfounded allegations, unverified claims, product pitches, profanity or any from anyone who does not list a full name and a functioning email address. We will also end any thread of repetitive comments. We don”t give medical advice so we won”t respond to questions asking for it.

We don”t have sufficient staffing to contact each commenter who left such a message. If you have a question about why your comment was edited or removed, you can email us at feedback@healthnewsreview.org.

There has been a recent burst of attention to troubles with many comments left on science and science news/communication websites. Read “Online science comments: trolls, trash and treasure.”

The authors of the Retraction Watch comments policy urge commenters:

“Shed light, not just heat. Facts, challenges, disagreements, corrections — those are all fine. Attacking the person, instead of the idea or the interpretation, is neither acceptable nor helpful.”

We”re also concerned about anonymous comments. We ask that all commenters leave their full name and provide an actual email address in case we feel we need to contact them. We may delete any comment left by someone who does not leave their name and a legitimate email address.

And, as noted, product pitches of any sort – pushing treatments, tests, products, procedures, physicians, medical centers, books, websites – are likely to be deleted. We don”t accept advertising on this site and are not going to give it away free.

The ability to leave comments expires after a certain period of time. So you may find that you’re unable to leave a comment on an article that is more than a few months old.