Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., has announced it has replaced the multiple liters of laxative consumed by people in preparation for a CT colonography with four pills, according to a news release.
Patients undergoing CT colonography, also known as virtual colonoscopy, now take four tablets of the cleansing agent bisacodyl. Mayo instituted the new protocol this summer.
"Our hope is that this will make people less anxious and more likely to get screened and will ultimately result in fewer deaths from colorectal cancer," said C. Daniel Johnson, MD, chair of the department of radiology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, in the release.
The protocol was based on a study co-authored by Dr. Johnson that was published in Abdominal Imaging last year. The study found the four-tablet procedure was as effective as the standard liquid laxative for virtual colonoscopies.
The new protocol is not intended for standard colonoscopies.
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