Efficacy and safety of bowel cleansing solutions for colonoscopy: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND The most critical factor determining the quality of colonoscopy results is the extent of bowel cleansing. AIM This observational post-marketing study evaluated the efficacy, acceptability and safety of a range of the most commonly used bowel cleansing solutions in routine clinical practice. PATIENTS Patients undergoing diagnostic, preventive or follow-up colonoscopy were recruited from 7 centres in Italy, Spain and Greece. METHODS Quality of bowel preparation was assessed on a 5-point scale and included evaluation of visible bowel surface area and the amount and consistency of residual fluid. Patients evaluated ease of use and palatability. RESULTS A total of 437 patients took part. Klean-Prep, the most commonly used preparation in this evaluation, achieved the highest score for quality of bowel cleansing and was rated as good or excellent in 72.0% of patients. In dosage-compliant patients, Klean-Prep showed better results in comparison to Fleet Phosphosoda (p < 0.05) in the maximum bowel level reached in the intestine during colonoscopy examinations. All of the bowel cleansing solutions were well tolerated. CONCLUSION The polyethylene glycol-based preparations provided the most adequate cleansing and, of these, Klean-Prep provided the highest "good" or "excellent" level of bowel preparation.