Is mechanical bowel preparation still necessary for gynecologic laparoscopic surgery? A meta-analysis

A number of studies have proven that mechanical bowel preparation (MBP) has no benefits in elective colorectal surgery. However, studies specifically related to gynecologic laparoscopic surgery are scant. We undertook a meta-analysis to assess the necessity of MBP before gynecologic laparoscopic surgery.

The electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched to identify relevant randomized controlled trials. Two authors independently extracted data from each study. The primary outcome of interest was the quality of surgical field. Secondary outcomes of interest included postoperative pain, abdominal swelling, nausea/vomiting, and length of hospital stay.

Three studies involving 372 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that MBP did not significantly increase the overall quality of surgical field exposure (odds ratio, 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.46-1.49; P = 0.52). MBP also did not appear to significantly change the mean scores of postoperative pain (weighted mean difference, 0.09; 95%CI, -0.54-0.71; P = 0.79), the incidence of nausea/vomiting (odds ratio, 1.56; 95%CI, 0.80 to 3.03; P = 0.19), the mean scores of abdominal swelling (weighted mean difference, -0.26; 95%CI, -0.83-0.30; P = 0.36), and length of hospital stay (weighted mean difference, 0.05; 95%CI, -0.13-0.22; P = 0.62).

Our results suggest that routine use of MBP for gynecologic laparoscopic surgery should not be recommended. However, additional randomized controlled trials using large samples are needed to confirm these findings.