Who should have a virtual colonoscopy?
American Cancer Society recommends colon cancer screening for both men and women over the age of 50. For those individuals with a positive family history of colon cancer (family members such as father, mother, brother, or sister), the American Cancer Society recommends colon cancer screening starting at the age of 40. Currently, there are several screening methods available but optical colonoscopy (also known as “conventional” or “traditional” colonoscopy) was the only option available for full colon screening exam. Virtual colonoscopy can visualize the entire colon and it is a convenient, non-invasive screening procedure that makes it easy to protect yourself from colon cancer. In addition, virtual colonoscopy is a good alternative for patients who have a history of incomplete optical colonoscopy, are allergic to IV sedation, or are hesitant to get screened because they perceive optical colonoscopy as invasive, risky, time-consuming or inconvenient.
