Air-inflated magnetic resonance colonography in patients with incomplete conventional colonoscopy: Comparison with intraoperative findings, pathology specimens, and follow-up conventional colonoscopy.
BACKGROUND
To assess the usefulness of air-inflated magnetic resonance colonography (MRC) in patients with incomplete conventional colonoscopy (CC).


METHODS
From September 2001 to December 2004, 51 patients (25 male and 26 female, age range 32 to 85 years) with incomplete colonoscopy were recruited to have MRC performed. Half-fourier single short turbo spin echo (HASTE) axial, coronal, and three dimensional fat suppressed gradient echo sequence (VIBE) coronal images in both the prone and supine positions were performed for each patient. MRC was reviewed by two radiologists for detection of synchronous colonic lesion. The location and size of lesions were recorded and were compared with the findings of CC. Patients were managed according to the clinical situation and intraoperative findings were compared with MRC findings. Follow-up colonoscopy was performed in 29 patients. The follow-up colonoscopy findings were then compared with the MRC findings.


RESULTS
Forty-four patients had incomplete colonoscopy because of an obstructing tumor. The other seven patients had incomplete colonoscopy because of excessive bowel looping. Apart from one patient suffering from chronic obstructive airway disease with resulting nondiagnostic MRC, all other patients had MRC successfully performed. Each colon was divided into six bowel segments for analysis. All 300 segments were of diagnostic quality and were assessed by the MRC. MRC correctly identified all 44 obstructing tumors demonstrated by initial CC. Synchronous tumors in proximal colonic segments were identified in two patients by MRC. In addition, MRC identified two colonic tumors located in bowel segments inaccessible by CC because of excessive looping.


CONCLUSIONS
MRC is useful for detection of colonic pathology and assessment of proximal colon in patients with colonic cancer after incomplete colonoscopy.
Wong
Tammy Yuen-yee
TY
Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Organ Imaging, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong.
Lam
Wynnie Wai-man
WW
So
Nina Man-ching
NM
Lee
Janet Fung-yee
JF
Leung
Ka-lau
KL
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000388:Air; D003106:Colon / Q000473:pathology*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003113:Colonoscopy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged