A STUDY ON OPTIMAL BOWEL PREPARATION FOR COLONOSCOPY USING POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL(PEG): SPLIT DOSE VS SINGLE DOSE REGIMEN

Introduction: Colonoscopy is vital for screening and diagnosing colonic disorders, and its success hinges on the quality of bowel preparation. An ideal preparation method should effectively cleanse the colon of faecal matter without damaging the mucosa, minimizing adverse effects while being easy to ingest, affordable, and ensuring good compliance across age groups. Aims And Objectives: This study aimed to compare the adequacy and quality of bowel preparation using polyethylene glycol (PEG) in single versus split dose regimens, identify the optimal dosing schedule, and evaluate patient tolerance and compliance. A Materials And Methods: randomized, prospective clinical study involved 306 patients undergoing colonoscopy, divided into two groups. The first group received a split dose: the first dose the evening before the procedure and the second 10-12 hours later, at least five hours prior to the colonoscopy. The second group received a single full dose the evening before or on the same day for afternoon procedures. The Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS) assessed preparation quality, while patient compliance, comfort, and the need for antiemetics and analgesics were also evaluated. The Results: split dose group achieved a higher mean BBPS score (7.15 ± 1.78) compared to single dose group (6.63 ± 1.82). While transverse colon was better prepared in single dose group, the right colon was better prepared in split dose group. Hypertensive and diabetic patients showed improved preparation with split regimen. The single dose group reported more vomiting and abdominal discomfort. Caecal intubation rates were similar: 92% for the single dose group and 91.33% for split dose group, with an overall rate of 91.67%. The split dose regimen Conclusion: resulted in better BBPS scores, higher patient compliance, and fewer adverse effects compared to the single dose regimen, while caecal intubation rates were comparable.