Esophagogastroduodenoscopy-assisted bowel preparation for colonoscopy

To compare the quality and tolerance of esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD)-assisted and conventional split-dose polyethylene glycol electrolyte solution for inpatient colonoscopy.

The study was a randomized controlled trial in hospitalized patients. Hospitalized patients undergoing colonoscopy the day following EGD for evaluation of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding or other symptoms. Patients randomized to either EGD-assisted bowel prep [2 L polyethylene glycol (PEG) administered endoscopically into distal duodenum at time of EGD, plus 1 L PEG orally the following day] or conventional-PEG (2 L PEG orally the evening prior and 1 L PEG orally the following day). The main outcome measurements are bowel preparation quality and patient tolerance of bowel prep.

Forty-two patients randomized to EGD-assisted bowel prep and 40 patients to conventional-PEG. Overall mean ± SD preparation quality was superior for EGD-PEG (4.1 ± 2.8) vs conventional-PEG (6.5 ± 3.1; P = 0.0005). Seventy-four percent of patients rated EGD-PEG as easy or slightly difficult to tolerate compared to 46% for standard-PEG (P = 0.0133). Mean EGD-procedural time was greater for EGD-assisted subject (24 ± 10 min) compared to conventional-PEG prep subjects (15 ± 7 min; P < 0.0001). Conscious sedation requirements did not differ between groups. There were no significant prep-related adverse events in either group.

In selected hospitalized patients, compared to a conventional split-dose regimen, use of EGD to administer the majority of PEG solution improves patient tolerance and quality of bowel preparation for colonoscopy.