Conscious or unconscious: the impact of sedation choice on colon adenoma detection

To determine if anesthesiologist-monitored use of propofol results in improved detection of adenomas when compared with routine conscious sedation.

This retrospective study was conducted at two separate hospital-based endoscopy units where approximately 12,000 endoscopic procedures are performed annually, with one endoscopy unit exclusively using anesthesiologist-monitored propofol. Three thousand two hundred and fifty-two patients underwent initial screening or surveillance colonoscopies. Our primary end point was the adenoma detection rate, defined as the number of patients in whom at least one adenoma was found, associated with the type of sedation.

Three thousand two hundred and fifty-two outpatient colonoscopies were performed by five selected endoscopists. At least one adenoma was detected in 27.6% of patients (95% CI = 26.0-29.1) with no difference in the detection rate between the anesthesiologist-propofol and group and the gastroenterologist-midazolam/fentanyl group (28.1% vs 27.1%, P = 0.53).

The type of sedation used during colonoscopy does not affect the number of patients in whom adenomatous polyps are detected.