The following is a summary of “Effect of Premedication With Pronase Before Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, A Multicenter Prospective Randomized Controlled Study,” published in the January 2024 issue of Gastroenterology by Li, et al.
For a study, researchers sought to determine if taking pronase before an endoscopy makes it easier to see the mucosa and raises the rate of finding precancerous and cancerous lesions. In the study, outpatients from 13 hospitals planned for endoscopy between June 2018 and April 2019 were randomly assigned to two groups: group A received premedication with pronase, and group B received water. The main goal was to find mucosal visible scores, and the secondary goal was to find rates of precancerous and cancerous lesions.
It was found that the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum in group A had significantly lower mucosal visibility scores (better mucosal visibility) than those in group B, with all P-values <0.001. Cancer detection rates were 0.83 and 1.08% in group A and group B, respectively. Precancerous and cancer lesion detection rates were 4.4 and 4.9%, respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P=1.000 and 0.824).
Also, group A had a smaller flushing volume (10.52±23.41 mL) than group B (36.30±52.11 mL) (P<0.001), and group A had a smaller flushing frequency (0.46±1.01) than group B (1.62±2.12) (P<0.001). Premedication with pronase might improve the appearance of the mucosa and lower the frequency and volume of flushing, but it might not make it easier to find lesions.
Source: journals.lww.com/jcge/abstract/2024/01000/effect_of_premedication_with_pronase_before_upper.8.aspx