Sodium picosulfate in the clinical practice of a surgeon

Abstract

Picosulfate, a diphenylmethane derivative, belongs to a group of drugs called stimulant laxatives. It is widely used in surgery to treat various colon evacuation disorders due to its effectiveness, safety of use and ease of dosage selection, as well as the option to combine with other laxatives. It is administered much more frequently for colorectal cancer screening, when the colon is prepared using sodium picosulfate combined with other osmotic laxatives, most often polyethylene glycol, which allows to use smaller volumes of solution. According to the literature, this method for cleaning the colon is used most often, which is associated with better adherence of patients to the intake of small volumes of liquid, as shown by our observations. The article highlights the literature data, and the authors also present their own experience – a clinical case report of the treatment of a 30-year-old patient diagnosed with grade I external and internal hemorrhoids. Laser ablation of internal and excision of external hemorrhoids was performed under local anesthesia. Regulax® Picosulfate was included in the therapy in the postoperative period, along with topical and pain relief drugs. As a result, the patient had a comfortable, not very painful bowel movement on the following day after the surgery. The laxative was used to manage stool for a week. In conclusion, the authors draw attention to the fact that increased patient compliance in preparing the colon for examination leads to better cleaning and more informative results during colonoscopy. Therefore, Regulax® Picosulfate combined with other laxatives to prepare a patient for examination, in particular colorectal cancer screening, where it is used most often, applies to a huge number of patients, so the problem of further study of its use is socially significant.