A COMPARATIVE TRIAL OF MAGNESIUM CITRATE (CITRAMAG) AND PICOLAX FOR BARIUM ENEMA BOWEL PREPARATION

It has previously been suggested that a single dose of magnesium citra te produces adequate cleansing of the bowel for barium enema examinati on. To determine whether such a regimen has any advantage over the wid ely used two doses of Picolax, a prospective randomized blinded trial was performed with over 100 patients allocated to each of the bowel pr eparation regimens. Radiographs were assessed for quality of mucosal c oating, faecal residue and overall quality of bowel preparation. Patie nt compliance was good with both regimens. Normal daily activities wer e inconvenienced significantly more by the Picolax (P < 0.001), wherea s the magnesium citrate (Citramag) caused more interruption of sleep ( P < 0.01). Mucosal coating was similar with both regimens. There was m ore faecal residue and poorer overall bowel preparation with Citramag (P < 0.001), although diagnostic accuracy was only infrequently felt t o be compromised as a result. Citramag may offer an alternative to Pic olax in patients where minimal disruption to daily activities is desir able and where the detection of polyps is not critical.