Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Full-laxative preparation can be onerous and is poorly tolerated in patients for screening. This preliminary study prospectively assesses the volume of residual feces, tagging quality, and patient acceptance.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A prospective study was performed in 27 average risk patients referred for CT colonography. Participants were prescribed a minimum-laxative bowel preparation consisting of 300-800 mL polyethylene glycol and iodinated oral contrast agent (PEG-C) the day before CT colonography. Mosapride was also used for 14 patients in the PEG-C+M group. All colonic segments were graded from 0 to 3 for fecal volume (0, none; 1, minimal; 2, moderate; 3, massive) and tagging quality (0, no tagging; 1, poor; 2, inhomogeneous; 3, good; 4, excellent). Questionnaires were given to all participants after CT colonography.
RESULTS: The average residual fluid scores were 0-1.42 and average residual stool scores 0.64-1.89. Overall tagging quality was scored good or excellent. Minimum-laxative preparation demonstrated adequate cleansing effectiveness for CT colonography with good tagging quality despite beneficial effects on the patient acceptance in patients receiving a low dose.
CONCLUSIONS: Minimum-laxative preparation CT colonography is a feasible and useful minimally invasive technique with which to evaluate the colon in average risk patients.
