Virtual Colonoscopy

Baylor now offers virtual colonoscopy, in which health professionals use a computerized tomography (CT) scanner and virtual reality software to observe images of the colon's interior to screen for polyps or tumors more comfortably than a traditional colonoscopy.

In a virtual colonoscopy, a small, flexible rubber tube helps introduce air into the patient's colon. Health professionals then perform a CT scan while the patient lies on his or her back, and then stomach. The test takes about 10 to 20 minutes, and because there's no sedation from which to recover, patients can leave as soon as it's over to return to normal daily activities like eating, working, and driving.