Evaluation of bowel preparation quality in patients with a history of colorectal resection

Background/Aims: Suboptimal bowel function can negatively affect colon cleansing for colonoscopy after surgery. Very few studies have compared the relationship between the colorectal resection and the bowel preparation quality. We postulated that the colon cleansing quality in patients with a history of colorectal surgery might not be inferior to that of patients with no resection history. Materials and Methods: Overall, 200 patients were enrolled in the study and distributed into two groups: the resection group (RG) and the control group. The surgical maneuvers were classified as right colectomy, left colectomy, and rectosigmoidectomy. The bowel preparation was performed using 2-L low-volume or 4-L high-volume regimens, and the preparation quality was evaluated using the modified Boston Bowel Preparation Scale (BBPS). Results: There were no significant differences in achieving adequate cleansing observed between the RG and the control group (modified BBPS of 6-9; 88% vs. 88%). According to the logistic regression analysis of the RG, patients with a left colon resection had an odds ratio (OR) of 0.27 (p=0.003) for achieving a successful cleansing, and the low-volume preparation (OR=3.092, p=0.023) was the main predictor of a successful cleansing procedure. However, a longer time between colonoscopy and surgery was not related to unsuccessful bowel cleansing. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that a history of colorectal surgery is not a risk factor for inadequate colon cleansing.