3 Liter Polyethylene Glycol is Not Inferior to The Standard Bowel Preparation in Chinese Population with Equal Efficacy: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

Abstract Background Ideal bowel cleansing regimens should be both effective and well tolerated. The European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy recommends 4L Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) as the standard regimen for the bowel preparation (BP). This large volume of PEG ensures a better-quality bowel cleansing but might be poorly tolerated amongst the Chinese population given their different characteristics. The current study compared the 3L and 4L PEG with regard to their effectiveness, tolerability, and safety amongst Chinese patients to identify the better suitable bowel cleansing method for this population. Methods This study employed a prospective, observer-blinded, randomized and controlled design in a high-volume endoscopic center. Consecutive patients undergoing colonoscopy were randomly assigned (1:1) to the 3L-PEG or 4L-PEG group. The quality of bowel cleansing, procedure time, adenoma detection rate (ADR), patient tolerance, and adverse events were compared. Results A total of 330 patients were included in the study. The quality of the bowel cleansing (Boston Bowel Preparation Scale) for both the whole intestine and each segment showing no significant differences between the groups. No significant differences were present with regard to the procedure time or ADR. The incidences of adverse events such as nausea (P = 0.001) and bloating (P < 0.001)were significantly lower in the 3L-PEG group. Moreover, there was a significantly higher rate of satisfaction in 3L-PEG group than that of the 4L-PEG group (P = 0.009). Conclusions 3L-PEG bowel cleansing represents an optimal alternative to a 4L-PEG preparation for Chinese people, showing a similar efficacy and superior levels of satisfaction, acceptability, and safety amongst users. We recommend 3L PEG be the routine regimen in the clinical setting for Chinese patients. (ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT03356015, registered in 29 November, 2017, https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03356015)