2L of Polyethylene Glycol as the Main Small Bowel Cleansing Regimen Component Prior to Video Capsule Endoscopy: Interim Analysis

Capsule Enteroscopy (CE) is a fundamentally new method in diagnostic endoscopy. However, there are several factors influencing the quality of this procedure, including impermeable fluids, food remains etc. The aim of the study was to assess one of the most popular currently used bowel preparation methods and evaluate possible effects of various factors. 136 CE examinations were analysed. Each patient was prepared using 2 litres of polyethylene glycol (PEG) one day prior to examination. There was a special form filled in for each patient, which included relevant parameters (anamnesis, CE data etc.). Of 136 CE cases, 84 (61.8%) were female patients and 52 (38.2%) were male. The small bowel (SB) transit time in 112 patients varied from 39 to 502 minutes, but in 24 cases the capsule did not reach caecum. The degree of bowel cleanliness was as follows: very good — 30 (22.1%) patients, satisfactory — 97 (71.3%), and poor — 9 (6.6%). A positive correlation was observed between the degree of SB cleanliness and the SB transit time (p = 0.015). A longer SB transits time was associated with poor SB cleanliness. The results obtained in this study showed that the quality of SB cleanliness is affected by SB transit time. A relatively large percentage of cases rated as satisfactory bowel cleanliness and comparatively small percentage of bowel cleanliness cases rated as “very good” were observed when 2 litres of PEG were used prior to CE, indicating an important issues in preparation of the bowel prior to CE.