Abstract
Virtual colonoscopy (VC, aka computed tomography [CT] colonography, or CTC) was introduced in 1994 as a minimally invasive screening technique for the detection of colorectal polyps and cancer [1]. It is a CT examination of the colon, cleansed of stool and distended with gas, in which the images are interpreted on a workstation using two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) techniques. After early work by several academic groups, VC soon gained the public’s attention for its potential to be a minimally invasive colorectal screening option. This chapter provides an overview of its early development, challenges to gain insurance coverage, and key factors that will impact its broader implementation in the United States. Implementation in several other countries is discussed in Chapter 2.
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McFarland, E.G., Keysor, K.J., Vining, D.J. (2011). Virtual Colonoscopy: From Concept to Implementation. In: Dachman, A., Laghi, A. (eds) Atlas of Virtual Colonoscopy. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5852-5_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-5852-5_1
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