The value of simethicone in abdominal preparation.

The effectiveness of simethicone in reducing the amount of gastrointestinal gas was investigated with abdominal radiographs in a double-blind study of 169 patients receiving either simethicone or a placebo randomly. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Although simethicone may relieve clinical symptoms and accelerate the transit time of gas, it does not reduce the amount of gas in the gastrointestinal tract. This study indicates that simethicone is not helpful in preparing the patient for radiological examination of the abdomen.