Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Mar 27, 2025; 17(3): 99784
Published online Mar 27, 2025. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i3.99784
Efficacy of water infusion combined with defoamers in colonoscopy
Jian Li, Jun-Ping Chen, Chun-Han Lai, Lian Fu, Yong Ji
Jian Li, Lian Fu, Department of Gastroenterology, Nanhai Family Practice Hospital (Nanhai Guicheng Hospital), Foshan 528000, Guangdong Province, China
Jun-Ping Chen, Chun-Han Lai, Department of Internal Medicine, Nanhai Family Practice Hospital (Nanhai Guicheng Hospital), Foshan 528000, Guangdong Province, China
Yong Ji, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Foshan, Foshan 528000, Guangdong Province, China
Author contributions: Li J designed the study and wrote the manuscript; Li J and Chen JP collected and analyzed the data; Li J and Lai CH revised the manuscript; Li J, Fu L and Ji Y participated in collection of the data; all authors approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by Foshan City Self-Raised Funds Science and Technology Innovation Project, No. 2320001007369.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethic Committee of Nanhai Family Practice Hospital (Nanhai Guicheng Hospital).
Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent to the study because the analysis used anonymous clinical data that were obtained after each patient agreed to treatment by written consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jian Li, Department of Gastroenterology, Nanhai Family Practice Hospital (Nanhai Guicheng Hospital), No. 8 Tongxing Road, Chancheng District, Foshan 528000, Guangdong Province, China. libairui66@126.com
Received: November 21, 2024
Revised: December 25, 2024
Accepted: January 15, 2025
Published online: March 27, 2025
Processing time: 94 Days and 18.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Currently, colonoscopy still needs continuous optimization and exploration of novel alternative approaches to enhance the experience of patients during colonoscopy.

AIM

To analyze the efficacy of water infusion combined with defoamers in colonoscopy.

METHODS

This study included 97 patients undergoing colonoscopy from January 2024 to June 2024. The participants were categorized into two groups, namely, the control group (n = 47), who underwent conventional colonoscopy, and the experimental group (n = 50), who received colonoscopy using water injection combined with defoamers. A comparative analysis was then conducted on the disease detection rate (colonic polyps, colonorrhagia, colonic ulcers, colonic mucosal lesions, and others), colonoscopy duration, abdominal pain [visual analog scale (VAS)], Boston bowel preparation scale (BBPS), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), bowel preparation comfort, complications (intestinal perforation, bleeding, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain, and abdominal distension), and patient satisfaction.

RESULTS

The experimental group demonstrated a significantly higher total disease detection rate, BBPS scores, and patient satisfaction compared with the control group. Further, the research group exhibited shorter colonoscopy duration, lower VAS and SAS scores and total complication rate, and better patient comfort and satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

These results indicate that the combination of water injection and defoamers exhibited an overall better therapeutic effect than conventional colonoscopy, mainly reflected in higher disease detection rate, faster examination efficiency, lower abdominal pain, anxiety, and complication incidences, and significantly better bowel preparation, comfort, and patient satisfaction.

Keywords: Water injection; Defoamer; Colonoscopy; Curative effect; Visual analog scale

Core Tip: Continuous innovation and exploration of new alternative solutions for colonoscopy remain essential to improve patients’ colonoscopy experience. This study proposes the application of the water-infusion method combined with defoamers in colonoscopy and compares it with the traditional colonoscopy approach to validate its clinical superiority in colonoscopy. We revealed that the water-infusion method combined with defoamers for patients undergoing colonoscopy demonstrates more clinical advantages compared with the air-infusion method, manifested as substantially higher disease detection rates and examination efficiency, a significant reduction in patients’ discomfort and anxiety levels, an improvement in the effectiveness of bowel preparation and patient comfort, and a favorable safety profile. Our research results provide additional alternatives for ameliorating the medical experiences of patients undergoing colonoscopy.