Colonoscopy is a critical procedure for colorectal disease screening and diagnosis, but it can be challenging, often causing patient discomfort and procedural difficulties like scope looping. Abdominal corsets have been proposed as a simple, non-invasive intervention to improve procedural efficiency and patient tolerance. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to synthesize the current evidence on the effectiveness of abdominal corsets in improving key colonoscopy outcomes

A comprehensive systematic literature search was conducted across four major electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the use of an abdominal corset (experimental group) to standard colonoscopy without a corset (control group). The primary outcomes analyzed were the need for manual compression, cecal intubation time, patient-reported pain scores, and the need for a change in patient position. Four separate meta-analyses were performed using a random-effects model

Four RCTs, with a total of 580 patients (283 experimental, 297 control), were included in the final analysis. The use of an abdominal corset did not significantly reduce the need for manual compression (Risk Ratio [RR] 0.46; 95% CI [0.16, 1.33]; P=0.15), although significant heterogeneity was present (I²=92%). However, the meta-analysis demonstrated that corsets significantly shortened the cecal intubation time (Mean Difference [MD] -0.99 minutes; 95% CI [-1.93, -0.05]; P=0.04) and significantly reduced patient-reported pain scores (MD -1.55; 95% CI [-2.35, -0.75]; P=0.0001). There was no statistically significant effect on the need for changing the patient's position (RR 0.88; 95% CI [0.36, 2.15]; P=0.78).

This meta-analysis suggests that the use of an abdominal corset during colonoscopy is an effective intervention for reducing cecal intubation time and patient pain. While a definitive effect on reducing the need for manual compression or position changes was not established, the observed benefits support its consideration as a tool to enhance both the efficiency of the procedure and the patient's experience