Factors affecting the quality of bowel preparation for colonoscopy

Aims Poor bowel preparation is associated with a lower adenoma detection rate and an increased risk of interval colorectal cancer. The predictive factors for poor preparation are not well understood. This study aimed to identify the predictive factors for inadequate bowel preparation.

Methods This is a retrospective monocentric study that collected data from all colonoscopies performed over a five-year period in an endoscopy digestive unit. Demographic, clinical, and endoscopic data were collected. Poor Bowel preparation was defined as a Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS) score of less than 6.

Results During the study period, a total of 2,458 colonoscopies were analyzed. The average age of patients was 57 years (range 13-97). The male-to-female ratio was 1.07. Poor bowel preparation occurred in 53.4% of cases. Univariate analysis identified the following predictive factors for inadequate preparation: male sex (p=0.018) and advanced age (p<0.001). Factors such as constipation (p=0.752) and non-split-dose regimen (p=0.1) were not associated with poor preparation. In multivariate analysis, male sex (p=0.018) and advanced age (p<0.001) were independent predictors for poor Bowel preparation.

Conclusions In our study, the rate of inadequate bowel preparation was notably high. Advanced age and male sex were identified as independent predictive factors for poor preparation quality.

Publication History

Article published online:
27 March 2025