CT Colonography and Telerad Meet Rural Screening Needs

CT colonography is feasible in remote health centers where optimal colonoscopy is limited, according to a study from the University of Arizona in Tucson.

The study was performed at Fort Defiance Indian Hospital in Fort Defiance and at Tuba City Regional Health Care Center in Tuba City. CT technologists were given on-site instruction on CTC and began performing screening exams. A total of 321 studies were transferred to the Tucson hospital for assessment, with reports returned via a teleradiology information system. “Overall image quality assessment of stool, fluid, and distention revealed that about 92% of patients had diagnostic quality examinations with respect to each image quality parameter,” said lead author Arnold C. Friedman, MD (AJR 195:1110-1117, 2010). He stressed that in order for this set up to work, CT technologists need to be properly trained and methods of image transmission need to be clearly defined.