Deep sedation compared with moderate sedation in polyp detection during colonoscopy: a randomized controlled trial

Aim The detection rate of adenomas is one of the current quality indicators in high-quality colonoscopy. We compared the performance of colonoscopy for the detection of polyps in patients sedated with deep and moderate sedation. Secondary objectives included the patient's and the endoscopist's satisfaction, recovery time and the adverse events related to sedation between the two groups. Method Five hundred and twenty patients submitted for colonoscopy were prospectively randomized into a deep sedation group (DS group, n = 258) and a moderate sedation (MS group, n = 262) group. In both, sedation and analgesia were performed using midazolam with pethidine. Results There were no differences between the two groups in the following three areas: (1) The overall detection of polyps (DS, 1 [0-20]; MS, 1 [0-15]; P = 0.67), (2): polyp size >= 10 mm (DS, 0.00 [0-7]; MS, 0.00 [0-6]; P = 0.30), and (3) polyp size < 10 mm (DS, 0.00 [0-20]; MS, 0.00 [0-13]; P = 0.83). There was no significant difference in the rate of adenoma detection (DS, 1 [0-10]; MS, 1 [0-9]; P = 0.99). Conclusion The study demonstrated no difference in the detection of polyps by colonoscopy using deep or moderate sedation.