SynthesisSurgical endoscopy2019
Simethicone decreases bloating and improves bowel preparation effectiveness: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Surgical endoscopy, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07674160 (Effects of Simethicone on Colon Preparation in Water Exchange Colonoscopies), which is not on this map. Cited by 12 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Effects of Simethicone on Colon Preparation in Water Exchange Colonoscopies: a Randomized Controlled Study
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.
- European Consensus on Functional Bloating and Abdominal Distension-An ESNM/UEG Recommendations for Clinical Management.United European gastroenterology journal · 2025Guideline
- Polyethylene glycol combined with lactulose has better efficacy than polyethylene glycol alone in bowel preparation before colonoscopy: A meta-analysis.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2023Pooled it
- Comparison of 1L Adjuvant Auxiliary Preparations with 2L Solely Polyethylene Glycol plus Ascorbic Acid Regime for Bowel Cleaning: A Meta-analysis of Randomized, Controlled Trials.BioMed research international · 2021Pooled it
- Efficacy of 1 L PEG Ascorbate vs Sodium Picosulfate With Magnesium Citrate Bowel Preparations for Capsule Colonoscopy and Pan-Intestinal Capsule Endoscopy: A Prospective Study.Clinical and translational gastroenterology · 2026Trial
- Efficacy of low-dose versus high-dose simethicone with polyethylene glycol for bowel preparation: A prospective randomized controlled trial.Journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2020Trial
- A Multicenter, Prospective Real-World Study of Simethicone-Activated Charcoal in Patients With Persistent Dyspeptic Symptoms Despite Acid Suppression (SIMAC Study).JGH open : an open access journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2026Article
- Updated bowel preparation regimens for colonoscopy: benefits and drawbacks.Clinical endoscopy · 2026Review
- Efficacy of water infusion combined with defoamers in colonoscopy.World journal of gastrointestinal surgery · 2025Article
- Shortening Oral Simethicone-to-Colonoscopy Interval Increases Bowel Preparation Quality.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2024Article
- Quality of bowel preparation in patients with inflammatory bowel disease undergoing colonoscopy: What factors to consider?World journal of gastrointestinal endoscopy · 2023Review
- Novel frontiers of agents for bowel cleansing for colonoscopy.World journal of gastroenterology · 2021Review
- The unmet needs for identifying the ideal bowel preparation.JGH open : an open access journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSimethicone is an adjunct frequently used during bowel preparation before colonoscopy and currently there is no consensus on whether it should be recommended in standard bowel preparation. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effect simethicone has on bowel cleanliness, adenoma detection rate (ADR), and tolerability.
methodsWe searched the literature for studies that compared colon cleansing of patients that received standard bowel preparation alone and in combination with simethicone prior to colonoscopy. The primary outcomes were colon cleanliness, ADR, and tolerability.
resultsSixteen randomized controlled trials with 5630 patients were included in meta-analysis. Overall, polyethylene glycol (PEG) with simethicone improves colon cleansing compared with PEG alone (odds ratio [OR] 1.48, CI 1.11 to 1.97, P = 0.008). This improvement was seen for single dosing (OR 1.83, CI 1.20 to 2.79, P = 0.005) but not for split dosing (OR 1.32, CI 0.72 to 2.43, P = 0.38). Overall, simethicone had no effect on ADR (OR 1.22, CI 0.81 to 1.83, P = 0.33), but in patients receiving single dosing, simethicone significantly increased ADR (OR 1.96, CI 1.22 to 3.16, P = 0.005). The rates of nausea (OR 0.96, CI 0.75 to 1.24, P = 0.75), vomiting (OR 1.00, CI 0.69 to 1.44, P = 0.99), and abdominal pain (OR 0.69, CI 0.40 to 1.18, P = 0.17) were not significantly different between PEG and PEG + simethicone cohorts. For abdominal bloating, the PEG cohort had greater odds of experiencing bloating than the PEG + simethicone cohort (OR 2.33, CI 1.70 to 3.20, P < 0.00001).
conclusionsSimethicone improves colon cleanliness and ADR; however, this improvement is not seen in patients receiving split-dose PEG. Furthermore, simethicone decreases abdominal bloating but has no effect on nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Simethicone may be a useful bowel preparation adjunct in patients unable to receive split-dose PEG.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.