Errors in CT colonography.

Abstract

CT colonography (CTC) is a colorectal cancer screening modality which is becoming more widely implemented and has shown polyp detection rates comparable to those of optical colonoscopy. CTC has the potential to improve population screening rates due to its minimal invasiveness, no sedation requirement, potential for reduced cathartic examination, faster patient throughput, and cost-effectiveness. Proper implementation of a CTC screening program requires careful attention to numerous factors, including patient preparation prior to the examination, the technical aspects of image acquisition, and post-processing of the acquired data. A CTC workstation with dedicated software is required with integrated CTC-specific display features. Many workstations include computer-aided detection software which is designed to decrease errors of detection by detecting and displaying polyp-candidates to the reader for evaluation. There are several pitfalls which may result in false-negative and false-positive reader interpretation. We present an overview of the potential errors in CTC and a systematic approach to avoid them.