Usefulness of polyethylene glycol solution with dimethylpolysiloxanes for bowel preparation before capsule endoscopy

Capsule endoscopy (CE) is widely used for diagnosing small intestinal diseases. In some cases, however, observation of target sites is very poor during CE because of residues etc. Herein we report the usefulness of a preparation comprised of polyethylene glycol solution (PEG) for CE.

This was a prospective, randomized, and single-blind study. Forty subjects, fasted for 12 h before CE, were randomized into two groups: 20 subjects in Group A were fasted only, whereas 20 in Group B received 1 liter (L) PEG with 200 mg dimethylpolysiloxane 3 h before CE. For evaluation, the observation period of the small intestine was divided into first and second halves. Subsequently, four investigators, blinded as to which group received the preparation, assessed the condition of the intestine using four rating scales in terms of 'residue' and 'intraluminal gas bubbles'. The effects of the preparation were statistically compared.

CE images were better in Group B than in Group A with respect to 'intraluminal gas bubbles' (P = 0.0038) in the first half of the observation period, as well as residue (P = 0.0087) and intraluminal gas bubbles (P = 0.0011) in the second half.

Bowel preparation using 1 L PEG with dimethylpolysiloxane 3 h before CE significantly reduced residue and intraluminal gas bubbles, and was considered to be a useful method for CE.