Is bowel preparation of polyethylene glycol solution prior to video capsule endoscopy necessary?

BackgroundThe aim of our study was to see whether bowel preparation of polyethylene glycol solution would significantly improve small-bowel visualization, diagnostic yield, and the completion rate of capsule endoscopy.MethodsAll patients who had a video capsule endoscopy from January 2021 to December 2021 at our center fasted and randomly ingested 2L of polyethylene glycol solution or 2L of pure water prior to the procedure. 5mL simethicone and 5mg etoclopramide were administered 20 minutes before capsule endoscopy and patients should lay in the right lateral position 30minutes after swallowing capsule endoscopy. Participants completed a satisfaction survey. Capsule readers were single-blind to complete a small-bowel visualization assessment.Results56 patients (M: F=26:30) were prospectively enrolled with a median age of 47.6 years. Among them, 25 patients were administered with 2L of polyethylene glycol and 21 were administered with 2L of pure water. The small-bowel completion rate was both 100% in the two groups. There was no significant difference between groups on small-bowel visualization (P=0.18). Diagnostic yield (P=0.34), mean gastric (P=0.10) and small-bowel transit time (P=0.52) were also similar between the two groups. Subjects who ingested 2L of pure water reported significantly more discomfort (P=0.01).ConclusionsBowel preparation of polyethylene glycol solution prior to video capsule endoscopy did not significantly improve small bowel mucosal visualization rate but did significantly increase patient discomforts.