ABSTRACT

Aim: To compare the excellent abdominal distension with mannitol, water and positive oral contrast in patient undergoing CT enterography for the diagnosis of bowel pathology.

Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, we included 90 patients who were planned for CT enterography due to any cause such as recurrent abdominal pain, irritating bowel disease (IBD) and irritating bowel syndrome (IBS) having age 20-70 years and having history of abdominal discomfort for >3 months.The study duration was June-2020 to Feb-2021. These 90 patients were divided into three equal groups; Group M: these patients received 3% mannitol solution. Group P; these patients received positive contrast, Group W: these patients received 1500 ml of plain water 20 minutes before CT imaging. Quality of abdominal distension was noted during CT examination.

Results: Mean age of the patients was 46.99±12.98 years. Mean duration of abdominal discomfort was 10.37±5.22 months. There were 49(54.44%) male patients and 41(45.56%) female patients. There were 30 (33.33%) patients who presented with IBS, 34(37.78%) patients with IBD and 26 (28.89%) patients with recurrent abdominal pain. Excellent abdominal distension was found in 12(40%) patients in group M, in 4(13.3%) patients in group P and in no patient in group W, with p-value <0.001. Conclusion: Mannitol Proved to be the superior endoluminal contrast agent as compared to other studied agents. Moreover, it is a cheaper and well tolerated drug and have minimal adverse effects. Keywords: Bowel pathology, CT enterography, Mannitol, Water, Positive contrast agents.