Computer Aided Detection of Polyps in the Colon

The purpose of this study is to examine the role of an automatic polyp detection software (henceforth referred to as the research software) as a support system during colonoscopy; a procedure during which a physician uses a colonoscope or scope, to look inside a patient's rectum and colon. The scope is a flexible tube with a camera-to see the lining of the colon. The research software is used to aid in the detection of polyps (abnormal tissue growths in the wall of the colon and adenomas (pre-cancerous growths) during colonoscopy. The research software used in this study was programmed by a company in Shanghai, which develops artificial intelligence software for computer aided diagnostics. The research software was developed using a large repository (database or databases) of polyp images where expert colonoscopists outlined polyps and suspicious lesions. The software was subsequently developed and validated using several databases of images and video to operate in near real-time or within minutes of photographing the tissue. It is intended to point out polyps and suspicious lesions on a separate screen that stands behind the primary monitor during colonoscopy. It is not expected to change the colonoscopy procedure in any way, and the physician will make the final determination on whether or not to biopsy or remove any lesion in the colon wall. The research software will not record any video data during the colonoscopy procedure. In the future, this software may help gastroenterologists detect precancerous areas and decrease the incidence of colon cancer in the United States.