Background: Colonoscopy may be associated with discomfort when performed without sedation. A study was conducted to determine whether instillation of water into the colon at the beginning of the procedure reduces intubation time as well as patient discomfort and pain.
Methods: Colonoscopy was performed in 259 patients by 3 endoscopists-in-training with limited experience. Patients were randomly allocated to 2 groups. In one, a technique was used in which 500 to 1000 mL of water is instilled into the colon by enema at the beginning of the procedure (instillation group, n = 130). In the other, patients underwent a conventional colonoscopy (control group, n = 129). Intubation time was measured and compared between the groups, and subjective discomfort experienced by the patients was measured upon completion of the examination.
Results: Success rates for insertion to the cecum were similar, (95.4%, instillation group; 96.1%, control group). Detection rates for any colorectal diseases were not different between the groups (30.0% vs. 32.6%). Mean time to cecal intubation was 10.5 minutes in the instillation group and 16.2 minutes in the control group (p < 0.0001). The proportion of patients who complained of abdominal pain during the procedure was 17.1% in the instillation group and 33.3% in the control group (p < 0.001).
Conclusions: When used by endoscopists-in-training, the water-instillation colonoscopy technique was associated with less discomfort and faster cecal intubation with no decrease in the rate of detection of colorectal diseases.