Usefulness of multi detector row computed tomography for detection of flat and depressed colorectal cancer

Recently, the clinical usefulness of colorectal cancer screening by CT colonography has been reported in Europe and the USA. However, in Japan, the diagnosis of flat or depressed colorectal cancer lesions has been emphasized, and the question of whether CT colonography facilitates visualization of these lesions remains to be answered. In the present study, we compared the visualization of flat and depressed colorectal cancer lesions by CT colonography with that of protruding lesions. We investigated 33 Dukes A colorectal cancer lesions that had been examined by 3D-CT, colonoscopy, and barium enema prior to surgery. In all patients, CT colonography was performed immediately after colonoscopy. Volume rendering was used for 3-D rearrangement, and imaging findings were examined with respect to morphology, tumor diameter, and tumor height. All (14/14) of the protruding-type lesions were visualized by CT colonography, whereas 78.9% (15/19) of the flat and depressed-type lesions were visualized. There was no significant difference in tumor diameter between protruding-type lesions and flat and depressed-type lesions. With respect to tumor height, 100% of the lesions measuring 2 mm or more in height were visualized, whereas only 42.9% of those measuring less than 2 mm in height were visualized; the difference was significant (P<0.001). These results suggest that the visualization capacity of CT colonography is associated with tumor height, but not with tumor diameter. Currently, lesions measuring 2 mm or more in height can be visualized reliably by CT colonography. (authors)