Evaluation of dextrose 50 % as a medium for injection-assisted polypectomy.
OBJECTIVE
Injection-assisted polypectomy (IAP) is traditionally carried out by using normal saline as the submucosal fluid cushion. However, normal saline, being isotonic, does not maintain the elevation of the mucosa for prolonged periods. It was hypothesized that dextrose 50 %, as a hypertonic solution, might be an ideal medium for IAP. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of dextrose 50 % for performing IAP.


METHODS
All patients undergoing IAP during gastroscopy or colonoscopy were randomly assigned on a prospective basis to receive either normal saline or dextrose 50 % as the submucosal fluid cushion. The endoscopist was blinded to the type of solution injected. The volume of solution and number of sites injected to elevate the lesion, the number of times IAP was interrupted to inject more fluid to maintain elevation, the rates of en bloc and complete resections, and the complication rates were compared in the two groups. The mean follow-up period was 10 months.


RESULTS
Fifty-two sessile lesions were removed in 50 patients. In comparison with normal saline, smaller volumes (median 7 ml vs. 5 ml; P = 0.02) and fewer injections (median 2 vs. 1; P = 0.003) were required to perform IAP when dextrose 50 % was used. The en bloc resection rate was higher with dextrose 50 % than with normal saline (82 % vs. 44 %; P = 0.01). Elevation of the submucosal area persisted even after completion of IAP in 96 % of the patients randomly assigned to dextrose 50 %, compared with 20 % of those receiving normal saline ( P < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the rates of complete resection or complications between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Dextrose 50 % is superior to normal saline as a submucosal fluid cushion, as it allows better en bloc resection during injection-associated polypectomy.
Varadarajulu
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S
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, USA. svaradarajulu@yahoo.com
Tamhane
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A
Slaughter
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D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003111:Colonic Polyps / Q000601:surgery*; D003113:Colonoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D016145:Endoscopy, Digestive System / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D006982:Hypertonic Solutions / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000627:therapeutic use
D006982:Hypertonic Solutions; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D005947:Glucose