Colonic distention and patient acceptance of CT colonography: supine/prone vs left/right lateral scanning

Objective:To prospectively evaluate and complete the colonic distention and patient acceptance of CT colonography (CTC) in the supine/prone and left/right lateral positions.Methods:A total of 220 consecutive patients were alternately allocated to the supine/prone positioning or left/right lateral positioning group. Two readers scored the degree of colonic distention by segment using a 4-point Likert scale (4 = optimal, 3 = adequate, 2 = inadequate, 1 = collapsed). In addition, patients were asked to rate the discomfort due to positioning during each scan using a 3-point animated face scale (3 = difficult, 2 = somewhat unacceptable, 1 = easy).Results:The overall mean colonic distention scores for supine, prone, left lateral, and right lateral positions were 3.16, 3.29, 3.22, and 3.42, respectively. Of all, the right lateral position provided the best colonic distention (p < 0.01). Combined left lateral and right lateral positions provided more adequately distended segments compared with combined supine and...