Can domperidone decrease transit time of pediatric video capsule endoscopy? A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: The complete examination rate of video capsule endoscopy can be increased by reduced gastric transit time (GTT) and or small bowel transit time (SBTT). This study aims to examine whether the prokinetic domperidone reduces GTT and/or SBTT in pediatric patients undergoing video capsule endoscopy (VCE). METHODS: We performed a single-center randomized controlled trial (n=200) to evaluate the effect of domperidone on GTT and SBTT among pediatric patients in a tertiary university-affiliated hospital for children. We explored whether patients randomized to domperidone had increased GTT, SBTT (primary outcomes) or higher complete examination rate (secondary outcome). The safety outcomes were the adverse effects in the domperidone group. This study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03662113). RESULTS: Demographic features including gender and age were similar between the 100 patients of the domperidone group and the 100 patients of the control group. The median GTT was 67.5 minutes (44.8–117.5) in the domperidone group and 80.0 minutes (42.0–128.0) in the control group, while the median SBTT was 317 minutes (231–436) and 323 minutes (225–426), respectively. There were no significant differences in GTT (P=0.49) and SBTT (P=0.52) between the two groups. The complete examination rate was 97% and 98% in the domperidone and control groups, respectively (P=1.00). CONCLUSIONS: Domperidone shows no effect on GTT, SBTT and complete examination rate in pediatric patients receiving VCE.