There are newer ways to examine or screen the colon without a conventional colonoscope, but the claim that colonoscopy has simply “become non-invasive” is misleading.
What’s changed?
CT colonography (“virtual colonoscopy”) uses CT scans to create 2D and 3D images of the colon from outside the body. It doesn’t require a colonoscope or sedation and is considered much less invasive than conventional colonoscopy.
Another developing option is capsule colonoscopy, in which a person swallows a small camera capsule that takes images as it travels through the digestive tract. However, bowel cleansing is still required, and capsule colonoscopy isn’t currently a universal replacement for standard colonoscopy.
The important limitation
If CT colonography finds a suspicious polyp or abnormal growth, a conventional colonoscopy is usually still needed to remove the polyp or take a biopsy. CT colonography also involves a small amount of radiation.
For colorectal-cancer screening, stool-based tests such as FIT are another non-invasive option, but a positive result generally requires follow-up colonoscopy
