Bowel Preparation Health Article

Definition

Bowel preparation is a procedure usually undertaken before a diagnosis and /or treatment can be initiated for certain colon and rectum diseases. Bowel preparation is a cleansing of the intestines from fecal matter and secretions.

Purpose

The ultimate goal of bowel preparation is priming the bowel for a diagnosis procedure (using x rays to detect a disease process in the intestines) or for surgical intervention (such as removal of polyps, cancer, or narrowing of the intestinal diameter). Colonoscopy is an effective treatment procedure for polyps (a growing mass of tissue). This procedure enables visualization of the entire large bowel. During a colonoscopy, polyps can be cauterized (applying an electric current which incinerates the polyp). The procedure can be both diagnostic and therapeutic. A sigmoidoscopy scope is a flexible tube that allows clinicians to view the sigmoid colon (the part of the large intestine before the rectum). This procedure is important for detection of colon/rectal cancer. It is safe, quick to perform (usually 30–45 minutes in about 90% of cases), and an effective diagnostic tool for evaluation of:

• rectal bleeding
• other studies that showed an abnormality
• removal of polyps
• biopsy
• evaluation of chronic diarrhea or inflammatory bowel disease
• to detect recurrences for colon/rectal cancer or polyps
• relieving a twisted bowel
• foreign body removal
• treating bleeding lesions
• preventive surveillance of cancer in patients with a positive family history of colon cancer

Precautions

Antibiotic prophylaxis is not routinely recommended. In some cases of prosthetic heart valves, antibiotics can be prescribed. Evidence exists that evacuation of intestinal waste products in conjunction with antibiotics before (prophylactic) the procedure reduces the possibility of sepsis (infection which spreads from the primary site to blood).

Description

The bowel is emptied of any contents for procedures such as barium enema (introducing a barium containing chemical to promote better visualization of intestines during x rays) or colonoscopy. Preparation of the bowel distally—from the rectum—is necessary for diagnostic procedures such as sigmoidoscopy. Prior to surgical procedures bowel preparation is recommended to decrease the possibility of developing more medical problems. Patients may also be given a course of antibiotics to prevent the possibility of infection.