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Review | Open Access
Colon Cleansing before Colonoscopy: Does Oral Sodium Phosphate Solution Still Make Sense?
Douglas K Rex
1 and Stephen J Vanner21Indiana University Medical Center, Indianopolis, Indiana, USA
2Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Unit, Kingston General Hospital, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Abstract
Oral sodium phosphate (NaP) solution has been withdrawn from the market in the United States but remains available for over-the-counter purchase for bowel preparation for colonoscopy in Canada. The present review summarizes recent data regarding the renal toxicity of oral NaP as well as its efficacy and tolerability relative to other preparations. Given the availability of effective alternatives to NaP solution, its use for colonoscopy preparation in Canada should be limited. Candidate patients for oral NaP solution should be assessed for eligibility and preparation instructions should adhere to the current recommendations for maximizing the safety of oral NaP.
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 Hindawi Publishing Corporation. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
