Bisacodyl laxative tablets, long known as an adjunct to the liquid cathartic prep agents used to cleanse the colon before virtual colonoscopy scans, are taking a solo turn at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ.
Four bisacodyl tablets will replace several liters of laxative for patients undergoing the colorectal cancer screening procedure in daily practice, Dr. C. Daniel Johnson, chair of the radiology department, said in a statement.
It's hoped that the new procedure will make people less anxious and more likely to get screened for colorectal cancer, Johnson said.
The change is under way following a study last year in Abdominal Imaging in which a similar cleansing technique worked as well as the standard liquid laxative for virtual colonoscopies, according to Johnson. The new protocol is not intended for standard colonoscopy, which requires different cleansing procedures.
![Images show the pectoralis muscles of a healthy male individual who never smoked (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; body mass index [BMI, calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 28.4; number of cigarette pack-years, 0; forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV1], 97.6% predicted; FEV1: forced vital capacity [FVC] ratio, 0.71; pectoralis muscle area [PMA], 59.4 cm2; pectoralis muscle volume [PMV], 764 cm3) and a male individual with a smoking history and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) (age, 66 years; height, 178 cm; BMI, 27.5; number of cigarette pack-years, 43.2, FEV1, 48% predicted; FEV1:FVC, 0.56; PMA, 35 cm2; PMV, 480.8 cm3) from the Canadian Cohort Obstructive Lung Disease (i.e., CanCOLD) study. The CT image is shown in the axial plane. The PMV is automatically extracted using the developed deep learning model and overlayed onto the lungs for visual clarity.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/03/genkin.25LqljVF0y.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&crop=focalpoint&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)