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World J Gastrointest Endosc. Jun 16, 2026; 18(6): 117353
Published online Jun 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v18.i6.117353
Published online Jun 16, 2026. doi: 10.4253/wjge.v18.i6.117353
Bowel preparation with still water for small bowel capsule endoscopy: Less is more
Ana I Ferreira, Mariana M Souto, Sofia Xavier, Cátia Arieira, Bruno Rosa, José Cotter, Department of Gastroenterology, Unidade Local de Saúde do Alto Ave, Guimarães 4835-044, Portugal
Ana I Ferreira, Mariana M Souto, Sofia Xavier, Cátia Arieira, Bruno Rosa, José Cotter, Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga 4710-057, Portugal
Ana I Ferreira, Mariana M Souto, Sofia Xavier, Cátia Arieira, Bruno Rosa, José Cotter, ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga 4710-057, Portugal
Francisca Côrte-Real, José R Pereira, Maria A Duarte, Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo de Ponta Delgada (HDES), Ponta Delgada 9500-370, Portugal
Author contributions: Ferreira AI performed the analysis and wrote the first draft of the manuscript; Ferreira AI and Côrte-Real F performed material preparation and data collection; Ferreira AI, Côrte-Real F, Souto MM, Xavier S, and Rosa B contributed to the study conception and design; Xavier S, Pereira JR, Arieira C, Rosa B, Duarte MA, and Cotter J commented on previous versions of the manuscript, read and approved the final manuscript.
Institutional review board statement: The study protocol conforms to the ethical guidelines of the 1975 Declaration of Helsinki as reflected in a priori approval by the Institutional Review Board of Unidade Local de Saúde do Alto Ave (No. 42/2023) and the Institutional Review Board of the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo de Ponta Delgada (No. S-HDES/2024/662).
Clinical trial registration statement: The manuscript has been registered.
Informed consent statement: All participants provided informed consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Corresponding author: Ana I Ferreira, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Unidade Local de Saúde do Alto Ave, R. Dos Cutileiros 114, Creixomil, Guimarães 4835-044, Portugal.
Received: December 5, 2025
Revised: January 4, 2026
Accepted: May 21, 2026
Published online: June 16, 2026
Processing time: 187 Days and 7.8 Hours
Revised: January 4, 2026
Accepted: May 21, 2026
Published online: June 16, 2026
Processing time: 187 Days and 7.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This prospective, multicentre, randomized study compared complete examination rates, bowel preparation quality, diagnostic yield, and tolerability across three small-bowel capsule endoscopy protocols. A total of 261 patients from two Portuguese university-affiliated hospitals were included. After the capsule reached the small bowel, patients received one of three boosters: (1) 1 L of polyethylene glycol; (2) 1 L of polyethylene glycol plus ascorbic acid; and (3) 1 L of water. Outcomes were similar across groups, with higher tolerability in protocol 3. Thus, using 1 L of water as a booster was better tolerated without reducing examination completeness, bowel preparation quality, or diagnostic yield.