Massachusetts General Hospital has partnered up with Microsoft and Intel to develop virtual colonoscopies, used to screen patients for colorectal cancer without the discomfort patients often experience due to pre-procedural cleansing needed for traditional colonoscopies.
With virtual colonoscopies, patients are instructed to drink an agent that allowed computerized tomography technology to take images of the colon while it also “virtually cleanses the colon of fecal matter.”
Although the virtual testing is still being tested at Massachusetts General, two benefits are already being seen through its adoption. Virtual colonoscopies costs range from $300-800, while traditional colonoscopies cost between $2,000-3,000. Additionally, virtual colonoscopies do not require sedation or laxatives for patients, according to the report.
Read the InformationWeek news report about virtual colonoscopies.
Read other coverage about colonoscopies:
– FDA Reconsiders Approval of Personalized Sedation System
– Researchers Conduct Cost-Analysis Study of Colorectal Cancer Screening Modalities
– Best Practice: Applying Abdominal Pressure for More Successful Colonoscopy Screenings
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