Oral sulfate solution versus Polyethylene glycol solution for bowel preparation for colonoscopy: A randomised controlled trial in a tertiary care centre

Abstract

Background: Colonoscopy is an indispensable procedure in the armamentarium of an endoscopist to diagnose the pathologies of the distal gastrointestinal tract. A well-prepared bowel is mandatory for an ideal colonoscopy aiding the diagnosis. The aim of the study was to compare the palatability, tolerance, volume and side effects of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) solution as well as Oral Sulfate Solution (OSS) for bowel preparation and to assess the quality of bowel preparation using Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS) in a controlled, randomised, and double-blinded manner.

Methods: 200 patients were randomly assigned in both the groups (OSS vs PEG) where they completed a questionnaire regarding their experience with the ease of consuming the solution, the taste of the solution used, any side effects, number of stools passed and the consistency of the stools passed. The BBPS was used to grade the bowel cleansing quality of each solution and cecal intubation time.

Results: There was significant statistical difference on comparison of the taste with better tolerability in OSS group. All the adverse events were mild to moderate in intensity and their frequencies were comparable in both the groups. The OSS group had better bowel preparation as per the BBPS (p= 0.001) and lesser cecal intubation time (p= 0.001).

Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that 1 litre of OSS is better than the 2 litre PEG solution, in terms of palatability, bowel preparation and shorter cecal intubation time.