Filet view reconstruction speeds up CT colonography

Researchers have found that a 360 degrees virtual dissection CT colonography postprocessing technique equals the diagnostic accuracy of 2D axial imaging for colon cancer screening.

Dr. C. Daniel Johnson, a professor of radiology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and colleagues enrolled 452 asymptomatic patients who underwent screening colonoscopy and CTC. The investigators compared the "filet view" with 2D axial imaging reconstruction from data sets acquired at 1.25-mm and 2.5-mm slice thicknesses. They found 2.5 mm slices were as good as 1.25 mm ones and obtained similar interpretation quality from 3D and 2D reconstruction displays. Double reading using the filet view as the primary reconstruction scheme and 2D for correlation and problem-solving reduced interobserver variability. The filet view also allowed 28% shorter interpretation times. Results were reported in the September issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.