Effect of Simethicone on Colon Preparation During Water Exchange Colonoscopy

NCT07674160 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 180

Last updated 2026-06-29

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

Background: Colonoscopy reduces colorectal cancer mortality by enabling early detection and removal of adenomas. Its effectiveness, however, depends heavily on bowel preparation quality and mucosal visibility. Simethicone, an anti-foaming agent, decreases intraluminal bubbles and improves visualization; studies in conventional air-insufflation colonoscopy generally show benefits for cleanliness and patient comfort, but evidence in water-exchange (WE) colonoscopy remains limited.Objective: To evaluate whether adding oral simethicone to a split-dose polyethylene glycol (PEG) regimen further improves bowel cleanliness and procedural performance in WE colonoscopy.Methods: Adults undergoing outpatient colonoscopy will be randomly assigned (1:1) to a simethicone group or a control group, with a planned enrollment of 180 participants. All procedures will use the WE insertion technique, and endoscopists will be blinded to group allocation. The primary endpoint is the Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS); adequate preparation is defined as a total score ≥6 with all segment scores ≥2. Secondary endpoints include bubble score and CEBuS, adenoma detection rate (ADR), polyp detection rate (PDR), cecal intubation rate and time, withdrawal time, volume of water used and flushing/irrigation metrics, and patient-reported tolerability and satisfaction.Expected Results: Compared with PEG alone, adding simethicone is expected to (1) increase the proportion of adequate BBPS preparations, (2) reduce bubble coverage, (3) maintain or potentially improve ADR/PDR, and (4) enhance patient tolerability and satisfaction.Conclusion: If effective, this intervention would provide a simple, low-cost strategy to optimize the quality of WE colonoscopy.

Conditions

  • Quality of Bowel Preparation

Interventions

DRUG

Simethicone with PEG

All participants followed a standardized bowel preparation protocol consisting of 10 mg of bisacodyl and 2 liters of PEG solution administered in a split-dose regimen. Participants in the simethicone group additionally received 30 mL of simethicone (600 mg), with 15 mL added to each 1-liter dose of PEG solution.

DRUG

PEG

All participants followed a standardized bowel preparation protocol consisting of 10 mg of bisacodyl and 2 liters of PEG solution administered in a split-dose regimen.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Dalin Tzu Chi General Hospital

    lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
DOUBLE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
20 Years
Max Age
80 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-08-01
Primary Completion
2028-05-01
Completion
2028-09-01

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07674160 on ClinicalTrials.gov