GI Docs’ Responses to Low-Quality Bowel Preps

Patients who undergo screening colonoscopy with obviously inadequate bowel preparation should undergo a repeat procedure as soon as possible if suspicious lesions are found. However, in cases where preparation is impaired only marginally, colonoscopists have no guidelines for determining appropriate follow-up intervals. To evaluate how colonoscopists currently are handling such cases, researchers surveyed 78 physicians attending an Israeli Gastroenterology Association meeting.

Each physician was shown colonic images from three patients: One image showed an excellent preparation, one showed a preparation with minimal-to-mild impairment, and a third showed a moderately impaired preparation. The colonoscopists were asked what follow-up interval…