Advances in colonoscopic imaging.

Recent studies have indicated that the levels of protection against colorectal cancer provided by colonoscopy and polypectomy may be considerably lower than what was once commonly believed. Improvements in colonoscopic detection of neoplasia could be enormously beneficial in reducing the incidence of colorectal cancer related to missed lesions. Factors that interfere with detection of neoplasia during colonoscopy, as well as technologic advances that can improve both neoplasia detection and real-time determination of polyp histology, are reviewed.