Virtual colonoscopy: A plausible alternative to conventional colonoscopy

Colon cancer is one of the leading cancers in both men and women across the globe. The incidence is especially high in developed countries and urban settings. Colonoscopy has been the established procedure for screening and early detection of colon cancer. This procedure involves insertion of a colonoscope with a video camera to examine the inner lining of the colon for suspicious polyps and growths which may develop into cancer. This requires two days of elaborate patient preparation to cleanse the colon of any residual matter which may obstruct the procedure. The colon is also air distended to expand it for clear access. The actual procedure itself takes a few hours and usually requires some kind of sedation to reduce the discomfort, especially to elderly patients. Large polyps and improper preparation also may prevent the procedure from completion, requiring repeat procedures. Growths on the outer surface of the colon also go completely undetected. Virtual colonoscopy is emerging as an alternative to conventional colonoscopy. This is simpler, less intrusive and faster. It is not affected by physical blockades and enables visualization of both inner and outer surfaces of the colon. An intrusive procedure is required only if suspicious polyps are located. This paper presents the methods and systems for developing an affordable virtual colonoscopy workstation which can be expanded to other endoscopic procedures also. It was evaluated on 21 independent colon data sets.