Optical Enhancements in Diagnosis and Surveillance of Colorectal Neoplasia

Abstract

The influx of new endoscopic technologies produces continuous evolution in diagnostic modalities, especially in colorectal cancer screening. New technologies seek not only to improve the detection of flat and difficult-to-visualize lesions, but also to more precisely differentiate between neoplastic and non-neoplastic lesions. The oldest technology, chromoendoscopy, has been shown to improve neoplasia detection in high-risk subjects, but it is not widely accepted due to its cumbersome nature. Newer technologies such as narrow-band imaging provide digital chromoendoscopy, yielding improved lesion detection and characterization with less inconvenience. Other technologies such as confocal endomicroscopy allow endoscopists to make in vivo histologic diagnoses of suspicious areas. Collectively, these emerging technologies may change the way that colonoscopy is performed.