Comparison of CT virtual endoscopy with electronic colonoscopy in 30 colonic carcinoma patients

Objective To evaluate the clinical application of CT virtual endoscopy (CTV E) in the diagnosis and treatment of colonic carcinoma. Methods We collected 30 patients pathologically proven to have colonic carc inomas as examined by CTVE and electronic colonoscopy (EC), correlating the CTVE and EC images respectively with surgical pathology in three aspects: tumor morphological features, degree of circumferential bowel wall involvem ent and longitudinal extent of tumor. Results CTVE imaging of colonic carcinomas showed morphological features: p olypoid pattern (11 patients), ulcerative pattern ( 11), and infiltrative p attern ( 8); degree of circumferential bowel wall involvement: less than 1/ 2 (4 patients), from 1/2 to 3/4 (6), and more than 3/4 (20); and their long itudinal extent: 1.0-3.0 cm (7 patients), 31-5.0 cm (10), and 5.1-11.0 cm ( 13). Correlation of CTVE and EC with surgical pathology was found. Comparis on of CTVE with surgical pathology showed tumor morphological features: con cordant (26 patients), and disconcordant (4); degree of circumferential bow el wall involvement: concordant (25), disconcordant (5); and longitudinal e xtent of the tumor: concordant (23), disconcordant (7). Comparison of EC wi th surgical pathology showed tumor morphological features: concordant (22 p atients), disconcordant (8); degree of circumferential bowel wall involveme nt: concordant (28), disconcordant (2); and longitudinal extent of the tumo r: concordant (14), disconcordant (3), and undefined by EC (13). Conclusions The images obtained by CTVE in colonic carcinoma are similar to those obtained by EC. CTVE is an excellent alternative to EC for patients who cannot tolerate EC and for cases with incomplete EC.