The Impact of Image-Assisted Colonoscope on Patient Experience, Physician Workload, and Examination Quality
Colonoscopy is the cornerstone for colorectal cancer screening, diagnosis, and post-treatment surveillance. Procedural quality is influenced by patient anatomy, particularly variations in colonic configuration such as sigmoid redundancy, looping, and low-lying transverse colon. These features prolong insertion time, increase patient discomfort, and elevate physician workload. Evidence suggests that prior CT imaging can provide objective and individualized information on colonic anatomy-such as redundancy, angulation, and tortuosity-potentially predicting procedural difficulty. However, existing studies are mainly retrospective or descriptive, lacking prospective randomized evidence on clinical utility. This single-blind, randomized controlled trial evaluates whether image-assisted colonoscope insertion, based on pre-existing abdominal/pelvic CT scans, can improve cecal intubation time, enhance patient experience, reduce operator workload, and improve overall examination quality compared with standard colonoscopy.
• Age 18-80 years, or expected natural survival \>3 years
• Undergoing colonoscopy at Peking Union Medical College Hospital
• Presence of an abdominal/pelvic CT scan performed within ≤5 years and no - - - major abdominal surgery afterward
• Patient or legal guardian able to understand the study and provide written consent