Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Jul 15, 2026; 18(7): 117681
Published online Jul 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i7.117681
Published online Jul 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i7.117681
Advantages of low dose polyethylene glycol + ascorbate split-dose colonoscopy preparation for colorectal screening
Caterina Palmonari, Nicolò Landini, Chiara Zanforlin, Chiara Chiericati, AUSL-U.O.C. Oncological Screenings, Local Health Agency of Ferrara, Ferrara 44121, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Michela Borghesi, Department of Economics and Management, University of Ferrara, Ferrara 44121, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Viviana Cifalà, Gastroenterology Unit, S. Anna University Hospital, Ferrara 44124, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Claudio Gregorio, General Surgery Unit, S. Anna University Hospital, Ferrara 44124, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Alessandro Pezzoli, Gastroenterology Unit, ULSS 5 Polesana, Rovigo 45100, Veneto, Italy
Admena Rreshketa, Unit of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Public Health, Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Vascular Sciences, University of Padova, Padova 35131, Veneto, Italy
Author contributions: Palmonari C was responsible for funding acquisition; Palmonari C and Landini N were responsible for conceptualization, project administration, and supervision; Palmonari C, Landini N, Zanforlin C, and Chiericati C were responsible for validation; Palmonari C, Landini N, Cifalà V, Gregorio C, Pezzoli A, and Rreshketa A were responsible for methodology; Cifalà V, Gregorio C, and Pezzoli A were responsible for resources; Landini N was responsible for visualization; Landini N, Zanforlin C, and Chiericati C were responsible for data curation and investigation; Landini N and Borghesi M were responsible for formal analysis and writing original draft; Palmonari C, Landini N, Zanforlin C, Borghesi M, Cifalà V, Gregorio C, Pezzoli A, Rreshketa A, and Chiericati C were responsible for writing review and editing; all of the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Corresponding author: Nicolò Landini, Post Doctoral Researcher, AUSL-U.O.C. Oncological Screenings, Local Health Agency of Ferrara, Corso Della Giovecca 203, Ferrara 44121, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. nicolo.landini@unife.it
Received: December 15, 2025
Revised: February 3, 2026
Accepted: April 14, 2026
Published online: July 15, 2026
Processing time: 206 Days and 14.1 Hours
Revised: February 3, 2026
Accepted: April 14, 2026
Published online: July 15, 2026
Processing time: 206 Days and 14.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: The 1-liter of polyethylene glycol and ascorbate was introduced to enhance colonoscopy preparation from the standard (4-liter of polyethylene glycol, distressful for patients due to the volume and not operatively optimal due to poor bowel cleansing). Results from pilot study (426 patients) showed above 90% of the patients with adequate bowel cleansing (Boston Scale value ≥ 6). Provincial screening results from 2022 to 2023 after the renewed protocol resulted in 96.33% of the population having adequate bowel cleansing for colonoscopy, with 63.56% showing optimal cleaning. Patients’ compliance increased of +5.30% for 1st and +3.90% for 2nd level screening protocols.