Electronic colon-cleansing for CT colonography: diagnostic performance.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether an electronic-colonic-cleansing (ECC) algorithm is beneficial for the diagnostic performance compared to a CT colonography (CTC) evaluation without electronic cleansing in tagged datasets.


METHODS
Two blinded readers evaluated CTC datasets from 79 patients with 153 colorectal polyps confirmed by optical colonoscopy. Cases were read in a randomized order with and without the use of electronic colon-cleansing software. Per-polyp sensitivity, per-polyp/per-patient specificity and reading times (with and without ECC) have been calculated and reported.


RESULTS
Per-polyp sensitivity for polyps >6 mm without using ECC was 60.4% (Reader 1: 59.7%, Reader 2: 61.1%), while polyps >10 mm were detected with a sensitivity of 58.3% (Reader 1: 66.7%, Reader 2: 50%). On electronically cleansed datasets, the sensitivity was 73.6% (Reader 1: 76.4%; Reader 2: 70.8%) for polyps >6 mm and 83.3% (Reader 1: 83.3%; Reader 2: 83.3%), respectively. Per-patient specificity was 75% without using cleansing (Reader 1: 68%, Reader 2: 82%) and 81.5% using ECC (Reader 1: 86%, Reader 2: 77%).


CONCLUSIONS
Reading CTC cases using ECC software improves sensitivity in detecting clinically relevant colorectal polyps.
Juchems
Markus S
MS
Department for Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, University Hospitals Ulm, Ulm, Germany. markus.juchems@uni-ulm.de
Ernst
Andrea
A
Johnson
Peter
P
Virmani
Sunny
S
Brambs
Hans-Juergen
HJ
Aschoff
Andrik J
AJ
D000465:Algorithms; D001464:Barium; D001726:Bisacodyl / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002400:Cathartics / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003106:Colon / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003111:Colonic Polyps / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D023881:Colonography, Computed Tomographic / Q000379:methods*; D003287:Contrast Media; D003973:Diatrizoate; D003974:Diatrizoate Meglumine; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D015588:Observer Variation; D010710:Phosphates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011856:Radiographic Image Enhancement / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013382:Subtraction Technique / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors
D002400:Cathartics; D003287:Contrast Media; D010710:Phosphates; D001726:Bisacodyl; D003973:Diatrizoate; D001464:Barium; D003974:Diatrizoate Meglumine; C018279:sodium phosphate