Introduction
Optimal bowel preparation is crucial for a successful colonoscopy. Plenvu is a low volume (1 litre) polyethylene glycol (PEG) plus ascorbate-based bowel preparation which has demonstrated a superior cleansing and equal safety and tolerability profile compared with standard agents.1,2 The current bowel preparation agent in use at our trust is Moviprep which is a 2 litre PEG preparation consumed in two divided doses. The recommendation is that patients have at least a litre of water alongside this. This can pose a challenge, especially for patients who are unable to tolerate higher volumes of liquids. The aim of this study was to assess the cleansing efficacy of Plenvu compared with Moviprep.
Materials and methods
A retrospective data collection was carried out from our endoscopy database for patients who received bowel preparation from February 2020 to March 2020. Patients who had a colonoscopy during this period were randomly allocated to receive either Plenvu or Moviprep. We collected data from 126 patients who were equally divided between each arm of the study.
Data were obtained on age, gender, timing of the procedure and endoscopic evaluation of bowel preparation on a scale of inadequate to excellent.
Results and discussion
There were no significant demographical disparities between both arms; the majority of our sample size fell within the 51–70 years age category (63% of the Plenvu group and 47% of the Moviprep group).
Plenvu provided superior cleansing efficacy with endoscopists rating the bowel preparation as excellent/good in 59% (n=37) of patients compared with 46% (n=29) in the Moviprep group.
In addition, Plenvu is marginally cheaper (36p) than Moviprep. At our trust, we perform an average of 3,000 colonoscopies per year. This translates to potential savings of £1,000 per annum.
Conclusion
This study supports the use of Plenvu as an efficacious bowel preparation agent. It remains the lowest volume bowel preparation agent on offer and, given its cost effectiveness, it is an attractive alternative to conventional agents.
References
- 1.Bisschops R, Manning J, Clayton LB, et al. Colon cleansing efficacy and safety with 1 L NER1006 versus 2 L polyethylene glycol plus ascorbate: a randomized phase 3 trial. Endoscopy 2019;51:60–72. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 2.Maida M, Sinagra E, Morreale GC, et al. Effectiveness of very low-volume preparation for colonoscopy: A prospective, multicenter observational study. World J Gastroenterol 2020;26:1950–61. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]