Background: According to a previous study, a longer insertion time was associated with inadequate bowel cleansing, advanced age, constipation, surgical history, sex, and a low body mass index. However, there are only a few studies on the association between cecal insertion time and colonoscope length (long vs intermediate).
Objective: To assess the association of colonoscope length and cecal insertion time.
Design: Prospective comparative trial, with systematic assignment to colonoscope length.
Patients: A total of 998 colonoscopic examinations were performed by a single endoscopist, who used video colonoscopes.
Main outcome measurements: Cecal insertion times and their potential covariates.
Results: The mean (+/-SEM) age was 49.06 +/- 0.4 years, 61% were men, and the mean (+/-SEM) body mass index was 24.17 +/- 2.96. The mean (+/-SEM) cecal insertion time was 4.68 +/- 0.09 minutes. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that sex (female, P = .000), colonoscope length (long, P = .000), increasing age (P = .000), percentage of body fat (P = .006), and inadequate bowel cleansing (P = .002) were independent factors associated with a longer insertion time.
Limitations: All procedures were performed by only one gastroenterologist, so the individual characteristics of colonoscopic procedures could be affected by a consequent bias.
Conclusions: This large, cross-sectional study identified colonoscope length as a useful factor that affected cecal insertion time.