Background: The efficiency of bowel preparation directly affects the quality and the reliability of total colonoscopy. Inadequate bowel cleansing is a common cause of incomplete colonoscopy with a risk of ignoring pre-neoplastic lesions represented primarily as adenomas with a size below centimetre. Due to the numerous factors interfering with preparation, an adapted choice of the type of preparation and the follow-up of diverse methods to optimize bowel preparation allows to improve diagnostic accuracy and to reduce costs while guaranteeing to the patient good tolerabilty and safety.
Aim: To report the news about the terms of the bowel preparation for colonoscopy quality and to propose practical ways to optimize it.
Methods: Review of literature and lecture of recommendations.
Results: The pre-colonoscopy consultation, prescription of a split dose bowel preparation and a brief time between the last dose of preparation and colonoscopy are the means currently available to optimize bowel preparation.
Conclusion: A better understanding of terms of bowel preparation and the factors influencing the degree of preparation improve the diagnostic efficacy of colonoscopy especially in the detection and treatment of colorectal cancer.