[Bowel preparation: what's new?]

ABSTRACT

The efficiency of bowel preparation directly affects the quality and the reliability of total colonoscopy. Inadequate bowel cleansing is a common cause of incomplete colonoscopy with a risk of ignoring pre-neoplastic lesions represented primarily as adenomas with a size below centimetre. Due to the numerous factors interfering with preparation, an adapted choice of the type of preparation and the follow-up of diverse methods to optimize bowel preparation allows to improve diagnostic accuracy and to reduce costs while guaranteeing to the patient good tolerabilty and safety. To report the news about the terms of the bowel preparation for colonoscopy quality and to propose practical ways to optimize it. Review of literature and lecture of recommendations. The pre-colonoscopy consultation, prescription of a split dose bowel preparation and a brief time between the last dose of preparation and colonoscopy are the means currently available to optimize bowel preparation. A better understanding of terms of bowel preparation and the factors influencing the degree of preparation improve the diagnostic efficacy of colonoscopy especially in the detection and treatment of colorectal cancer