With about 37,000 new cases among men annually and about 36,000 new cases among women, the colon carcinoma is the second most common type of cancer in Germany, and causes 30,000 deaths per year. There is no alternative to a colonoscopy, because even if the results of tumour markers and faecal occult blood tests are negative, tumours with isolated malignant cells can nevertheless already be located in the intestinal wall. DiVoCare’s virtual colonoscopy means that anaesthesia, which is normally given in connection with a conventional colonoscopy, is unnecessary. The risks involved in invasive surgery can be avoided, and the results are as good as those obtained by the conventional method nowadays.
About 15 % of conventional colonoscopies are incomplete, because they do not reach the appendix. Our virtual colonoscopy produces high definition images of the colon up to the ileocaecal valve (the point at which the small and large intestines meet).
The CT-supported diagnostic procedure provides totally accurate images of the intestinal wall and the mucosa. This makes it possible for us to identify any abnormalities which require therapy at a very early stage, before they start to degenerate.
In the screening programme the examination is not merely limited to a section of the intestines, but the whole abdomen and the pelvis are examined. This makes a comprehensive assessment of all abdominal organs possible. At any rate in the case of 17% of patients examined relevant diseases were detected.
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