Computed tomographic gastrography

Computed tomographic (CT) gastrography, also called virtual gastroscopy (VG), is a noninvasive procedure for the detection of gastric abnormalities.

Advantages

• rapid and noninvasive exam
• offers information about local tumor invasion, lymph node and distant metastasis in cases of gastric cancer

Indications

• early detection of gastric carcinoma
• to examine gastric abnormalities, e.g. hiatus hernia, polyps and ulcers
• post-surgical assessment of the stomach
• CT gastrography and volumetry are used to assess the volume of the gastric pouch after bariatric surgery

Technique

• patient preparation, fasting at least 8 hours before the exam
• bowel distension, optimal gastric distention is a fundamental prerequisite for CT gastrography data evaluation; collapsed gastric wall may mimic disease or obscure underlying pathology
• negative oral contrast medium with effervescent granules is effective for optimal gastric distension

 Data acquisition and analysis

• CT scanning is ideally performed on a multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) with a thin collimation
• data interpretation with the use of two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) displays for proper evaluation

Siehe auch:

• Kontrastdarstellung des Magens