Researchers reviewed 17 randomized controlled trials with 8,371 patients.
1. WE colonoscopies were criticized because past studies reported longer insertion times with WE than with standard air or carbon dioxide insufflation.
2. Researchers found while cecal insertion time was 1.4 minutes longer than standard air or carbon dioxide insufflation, withdrawal times differed by less than 0.3 minutes. Procedure time was 1.8 minutes longer for WE over GAS.
3. Despite the mild time increases, researchers found patients widely support the procedure. Pain scores were lower during WE than with GAS, and fewer patients required on-demand sedation. About 91.4 percent of WE patients said they’d repeat the procedure, compared to 87.2 percent of GAS patients.
Dr. Sergio Cadoni of CTO Hospital, in Iglesias, Italy, said in the report, “I hope that physicians will be stimulated to try WE in their practice and see for themselves its advantages. They will be surprised by the improvements that this technique will bring to them, even if they routinely use moderate or deep sedation for their patients.”
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