Published in:
01-12-2015 | Original Article
A randomized controlled trial comparing polyethylene glycol + ascorbic acid with sodium picosulphate + magnesium citrate solution for bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy
Published in: Irish Journal of Medical Science (1971 -) | Issue 4/2015
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Introduction
Adequate bowel cleansing which is acceptable to the patient is a prerequisite for safe and effective colonoscopy. A 2-L polyethylene glycol solution containing ascorbic acid and electrolytes (PEG-Asc) is an alternative to sodium picosulphate + magnesium citrate (SPS-Mg) for bowel preparation. The aim of the current study is to compare PEG-Asc to SPS-Mg in terms of tolerability and efficacy.
Methods
This was a single blind, randomized controlled trial. A blinded assessment of bowel cleansing was made by the attending endoscopist. Patients completed a questionnaire on the acceptability of the preparation.
Results
One hundred and thirty (130) consecutive patients attending for day case colonoscopy were randomly allocated to bowel preparation with PEG-Asc (n = 66) or SPS-Mg (n = 64). More patients found PEG-Asc to taste unpleasant (37.9 vs. 10.9 %, P < 0.001) and more patients found PEG-Asc to be a more distressing preparation than SPS-Mg (15.1 vs. 4.7 %, P = 0.043). However, there was no difference in the proportion of patients being able to complete bowel preparation (PEG-Asc vs. SPS-Mg, 92.4 vs. 93.8 %, P = 0.520). There was no detectable difference between PEG-Asc and SPS-Mg in the quality of cleansing with a good or very good preparation being reported by the endoscopist in 46.9 and 54.5 % of cases, respectively (P = 0.242).
Conclusions
More patients find PEG-Asc to taste unpleasant and to be a more distressing preparation than SPS-Mg. However, there was no detectable difference between PEG-Asc and SPS-Mg in bowel cleansing prior to colonoscopy.