THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SIMETHICONE IN IMPROVING VISIBILITY DURING COLONOSCOPY WHEN GIVEN WITH A SODIUM-PHOSPHATE SOLUTION - A DOUBLE-BLIND RANDOMIZED STUDY
Rh. Sudduth et al., THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SIMETHICONE IN IMPROVING VISIBILITY DURING COLONOSCOPY WHEN GIVEN WITH A SODIUM-PHOSPHATE SOLUTION - A DOUBLE-BLIND RANDOMIZED STUDY, Gastrointestinal endoscopy, 42(5), 1995, pp. 413-415
Background: Oral sodium phosphate solution is better tolerated than po
lyethylene glycol when used for colonoscopy preparation, but visibilit
y of the lumen can be impaired because of the presence of bubbles. Met
hods: We studied 86 patients receiving either simethicone (n = 42) or
placebo (n = 44) in addition to oral sodium phosphate to determine if
simethicone improved visibility during colonoscopy. Patients were rand
omized to receive 160 mg of simethicone or a placebo with 45 ml of sod
ium phosphate the evening before and the morning of colonoscopy. Colon
oscopy was performed by a single blinded investigator. Five areas of t
he colon (rectosigmoid, descending, transverse, ascending, and cecum)
were assessed for the presence of bubbles on withdrawal of the endosco
pe. Bubbles were scored as follows: 0, minimal or none; 1, covering ha
lf the lumen; 2, covering the entire circumference; 3, filling the ent
ire lumen. Results: Thirteen patients in the placebo group and only on
e in the simethicone had significant bubbles (greater than or equal to
1). Additionally, the mean bubble scores were greater in the placebo
group in each region of the colon (p less than or equal to 0.05 in rec
tosigmoid and ascending colon). Conclusions: This study indicates that
taking simethicone with an oral sodium phosphate preparation can impr
ove colonic visibility by diminishing the presence of bubbles. Better
visualization could improve detection of mucosal pathologic lesions.