A colonoscopy is a medical procedure used to examine the inside of the large intestine with a flexible camera. It allows doctors to carefully inspect the colon and identify abnormalities such as inflammation, bleeding, polyps, ulcers, blockages, or abnormal tissue growths…@@@
This type of test is a fundamental preventative tool for everyone, although it is recommended as a screening test, especially for people at risk. Thanks to such a simple test, it is possible to identify and, if necessary, remove very small tumors, thus preventing their irreversible degeneration.
Colonoscopy helps prevent the second most diagnosed cancer in Italy: colorectal cancer. This examination is usually performed after a positive result on the fecal occult blood test, a test included in regional early detection programs for this serious disease.
Although this type of examination is performed with the utmost care and is becoming less uncomfortable, it is still considered potentially painful and embarrassing due to its undeniably invasive nature. A colonoscope, a flexible tube equipped with a microcamera, is manually inserted into the anal canal. Medicine has continued to advance significantly in this field. Regarding colonoscopy, a major innovation has recently emerged: virtual colonoscopy. Let’s see what it involves. Virtual colonoscopy is a non-invasive radiological technique that allows visualization of the colon wall without an endoscope. This makes the examination much less invasive than a traditional colonoscopy, while also providing much more accurate results.
This technique is used when traditional procedures are not possible, for example, in cases of serious conditions that prevent access. Virtual colonoscopy offers a more comprehensive view of the patient’s condition by evaluating the digestive tract before any obstruction or subocclusive lesion is detected.
To explain this technique in detail, it can be defined as an endoscopic procedure performed using 3D computer reconstructions after a simple scan. The computer creates a graphic animation that shows images of the colon’s mucosal surface with the same or even greater accuracy than a traditional colonoscopy.
