A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Picosalax and Oral Sodium Phosphate for Colon Cleansing Prior to Colonoscopy
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2008-01-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Colon cleansing prior to colonoscopy is critically important to ensure effective colonoscopy
for colon cancer screening, which is now widespread in North America. Currently available
colon cleansing agents are limited either by potential safety concerns or significant
limitations in the ability of patients to tolerate the preparation. Pico-salax has recently
been introduced in Canada as an alternative agent and is being used more and more widely
despite an almost complete lack of clinical data supporting efficacy and safety. This study
will establish the relative efficacy and patient tolerability of this agent and its safety
profile. This is a very important, practical issue which continues to challenge
gastroenterologists, surgeons, internists, family doctors and thousands of their patients in
Canada on a daily basis.
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the efficacy of pico-salax when used as a sole agent may not
be as efficacious as oral sodium phosphate. Hence, our hypothesis is that the combination of
pico-salax and bisacodyl will provide the most efficacious bowel preparation in comparison
with oral sodium phosphate and pico-salax alone, while being equally if not better tolerated.