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Title: Peppermint Oil Less Effective In Reducing Irritable Bowel Colonoscopy Spasms

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Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 2001; 53(2): 172-177.
02/21/2001 10:18:04 AM
By Elda Hauschildt

Intra-colonic administration of peppermint oil is a safe and effective alternative to injection of a cholinergic blocking agent or glucagon for control of colonic spasm during colonoscopy. Its efficacy is significantly lower, however, in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Japanese researchers report. Systemic administration of a cholinergic blocking agent or glucagon reduces spasms during colonoscopy, but is inconvenient and sometimes causes side effects, note researchers from the Gunma University School of Medicine in Maebashi. A group of 409 treated patients received 200 mL of a solution containing 8 mL of peppermint oil and 0.2 mL of polysorbate (Tween 80) per litre of water with 0.04 percent indigo carmine. A group of 36 controls received the same solution without the peppermint oil. Administration was through a hand-pump attached to the accessory channel of the colonoscope. Patient positions were changed during colonoscopy so that the solution was distributed properly. "A satisfactory spasmolytic effect was seen in 88.5 percent of the treated patients and 33.3 percent of those in the control group," the researchers conclude. "No adverse effect was observed." Investigators note that the mean time to onset was 21.6 seconds, and the effect continued for at least 20 minutes. "In patients with IBS, efficacy was significantly lower," they add.

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