Computed-tomographic (CT) colonography is well tolerated by older patients and successfully images the entire colon in the vast majority of patients despite diverticular disease and colonic redundancy, according to a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society.

“Many of the many patients referred for CT colonography were older patients who had experienced problems with conventional colonoscopy,” said Anna Lev-Toaff, MD, lead author.

The American study consisted of 42 patients age 60 years or older. Of the total, 29 percent were referred for colonography because conventional colonoscopy was contraindicated, while 71 percent were referred because colonoscopy was incomplete, most commonly due to diverticular disease and colonic redundancy.

According to the presentation, successful imaging of the entire colon was achieved in 90 percent of patients and no complications were observed. Of the total, 93 percent had one or more positive finding on colonography such as diverticular disease and polyps. Extracolonic findings were also commonly identified: 62 percent had findings that could require further radiologic investigation, and follow-up medical or surgical treatment was needed by 25 percent of patients.

“We were pleasantly surprised at the success rate in imaging the entire colon in these challenging patients,” said Lev-Toaff. “Additional imaging was often required to optimally image the colon, most commonly imaging while the patient is lying on the right side to distend the left colon,” she said.