[Peroral emptying of the colon. A randomized comparison of 4 and 1.5 liter regimens]

A "clean" colon is needed for adequate endoscopic examination. In order to examine patients' acceptance of two different regimens taken orally, and their efficacy, 32 patients in an outpatient clinic were randomized either to a four litre regimen of a solution of electrolytes and polyethylenglycol or a 1.5 litre regimen supplemented with bisacodyl. The patients' acceptance was better for the 1.5 litre regimen, since only one out of 17 patients failed to drink the solution, while four out of 15 patients were unable to complete drinking the four litres. Insufficient cleaning of the colon caused inadequate examination in four patients. All patients who had followed the four litre regimen were examined successfully. We conclude that the present 1.5 litre regimen is insufficient as pretreatment for colonoscopy.