VIRTUAL COLONOSCOPY.

• Position: Brief Article

Is Less Uncomfortable, More Accurate

The very word "cancer" can strike fear in the heart of the most courageous individual. Almost as much fear is generated by the idea of a colonoscopy, even though the test can prevent colorectal cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. and the deadliest form of the disease among nonsmokers.

That situation is about to change, thanks to an advanced virtual colonoscopy system developed by Viatronix, Inc., Miami, Fla. Offering numerous benefits to patients and physicians over the conventional optical colonoscopy as well as other virtual tools, the Viatronix Visualization System (VVS) is a noninvasive, accurate alternative for examining 100% of the colon for polyps, the common precursor of colon cancer.

"Despite the fact that timely and accurate screening can prevent colorectal cancer, the traditional invasive colonoscopy is so uncomfortable, with unpleasant preparatory requirements of fasting and harsh colon cleansing, that patients often refuse medical advice and delay or opt out of the screening," notes Arie Kaufman, cofounder of Viatronix. "With our procedure, virtually all of the risk and discomfort of a colonoscopy is eliminated, while, equally important, the physician's ability to visualize polyps is greatly enhanced."

The VVS combines the computer imaging of a CT scan with breakthrough medical diagnostic software technology to provide a patient-friendly, yet incredibly accurate, tool for viewing the colon. Unlike conventional colonoscopy, in which a long, flexible fiber-optic scope is inserted into the rectum and maneuvered up to five feet along the length of the colon, the Viatronix system involves a thin rubber tube that is inserted only one inch into the rectum in order to distend the colon with carbon dioxide. Then, two 40-second CT scans send the patient's data to a computer system, where the preprocessor reconstructs a three-dimensional model of the colon and "cleanses" the data of debris remnants in it. The data is transmitted to a reading station where physicians can automatically conduct an interactive, three-dimensional "fly through" examination of the colon on the computer screen.

The noninvasiveness of the procedure is a benefit to patients, eliminating not only the physical discomfort of a conventional colonoscopy, but the inherent risk of...