Colonography

I had a colonography this morning. A colonography is a virtual colonoscopy, a medical imaging procedure performed via a CT scan or an MRI, taking images of the colon or large intestine.  Preparation for the procedure is done the day before, to clear stool from the colon.  In my case, I went to a radiology center this morning and the exam took about 20 minutes.  The advantages of a colonography are that it is much more comfortable than conventional colonoscopy, as no sedation is needed which lowers risk and the time to recover.  It also provides clearer, more detailed images than a conventional colonoscopy, it takes less time, and provides a secondary benefit of revealing diseases or abnormalities elsewhere in the abdomen.   The main disadvantage of colonography is that a radiologist cannot take tissue samples or a biopsy to remove polyps, so a conventional colonoscopy must be performed if abnormalities are found.

I had a good report, so I don't need this test again for ten years unless I develop a problem.  Thank goodness!