A study published in World Journal of Gastroenterology examined the effectiveness of a several colon cleaning preparations in inflammatory bowel disease patients.
Alan Barkun, a professor of gastroenterology at Montreal-based McGill University, and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of four clinical trials featuring 449 patients between January 1980 and September 2016.
Researchers assessed regimens that had high-volumes of more than three liters and low-volumes of less than two liters. They measured for bowel cleansing quality as the primary outcome.
Here's what they found:
1. In one trial, researchers examined how four liters of polyethylene glycol with simethicone fared. The regimen had no effect on bowel preparation quality, but patients better tolerated the treatment.
2. A second trial examined the effectiveness of senna and castor oil. There was no difference in bowel cleansing quality with either.
3. Two of the trials examined whether polyethylene glycol should be used in a high-volume or low-volume regimen. Researchers found that low-volume PEG was not inferior to high-volume PEG. However, patients were more willing to repeat the low-volume preparation.
Researchers concluded, "In inflammatory bowel disease population, PEG low-volume regimen seems not inferior to PEG high-volume to clean the colon, and yields improved willingness-to-repeat."