Risk Factors Associated with Painful Colonoscopy and Prolonged Cecal Intubation Time in Female Patients

Few studies have examined risk factors leading to painful colonoscopy and prolonged cecal intubation time in female patients. We aimed to determine the factors associated with painful colonoscopy and prolonged cecal intubation time in female patients.

This retrospective study analyzed prospectively collected data from a randomized controlled trial with female patients who underwent colonoscopy. Multivariate logistic and linear regression analyses were performed using the following factors that might be associated with painful colonoscopy and prolonged cecal intubation time, respectively: age, body mass index, history of colonoscopy, previous abdominal surgery, routine use of laxatives, inadequate bowel preparation, sigmoid colon diverticulosis, use of a small-caliber colonoscope, and an inexperienced operator.

The study enrolled 219 female patients aged >20 years. Using the receiver operating characteristic curve, painful colonoscopy was defined in cases where the visual analogue scale of overall pain was ≥50 mm. Logistic regression analysis for risk factors associated with painful colonoscopy revealed that sigmoid colon diverticulosis [odds ratio (OR), 2.496; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.013-5.646; p=0.028] was a risk factor for painful colonoscopy; conversely, the use of a small-caliber colonoscope was a negative factor for painful colonoscopy (OR, 0.436; 95% CI, 0.214-0.889, p=0.022). In linear regression analysis, inadequate bowel preparation was significantly associated with prolonged cecal intubation time (β-coefficient, 3.583; 95% confidence interval, 0.578-6.588; p=0.020).

Female patients with sigmoid colon diverticulosis are more likely to experience severe pain during colonoscopy, and those with inadequate bowel preparation may require more time for cecal intubation.