Virtual colonoscopy (VC) is a rapidly developing technique that promises to be safer, more economical, and less intrusive than conventional diagnostic tests for colon cancer. This procedure allows the physician to look inside the body without having to insert a long tube into the colon, as in conventional colonoscopy, or filling the colon with liquid barium, as with barium enema. VC has attracted the attention of the media and the public as a much-lauded alternative to current techniques.