Funded by NSF and the Whitaker Foundation, the program focuses on new or improved technologies that can cut the cost of existing procedures. But used wisely, technology can become a powerful solution to the problem. With the VR colonoscopy procedure, researchers are promising a significant increase in patient comfort, as well as a cost savings. A standard colonoscopy involves sedation and the insertion of a flexible, 100-centimeter fiberoptic scope into the rectum.
Doctors then use the scope to look for abnormalities that suggest cancer.
After the procedure, the patient spends several hours recovering from the sedation. When the pictures are fed into a computer, radiologist David Vining uses a virtual reality program to look at the patient's bowels. The computer screen shows an image of the colon that can be manipulated electronically. Vining takes the image and splits it down the center, laying it open like a hotdog bun. The team then examines the internal tissue and the thickness of the walls.