Improvements in or relating to preparation of subjects for medical or veterinary examination

摘要

A method of identifying if a subject is sufficiently prepared to permit successful colonoscopic examination, comprises the steps of: (a) obtaining a stool sample from a subject having undergone preparation for a colonoscopic examination; (b) analysing the sample to detect the presence and/or amount of faecal matter, if any, in the stool sample; and (c) from the analysis in step (b), identifying whether the subject has been sufficiently prepared. Preferably, prior to obtaining a stool sample, a laxative has been administered to the subject. Analysis may be performed that detects volatile organic compounds collected or derived from the stool sample. The analysis may comprise Field Asymmetric Ion Mobility Spectrometry (FAIMS), and may comprise measuring the ion current intensity at one or more pairs of values for dispersion field and compensation voltage, and comparing these to threshold values, in order to determine whether or not the subject is sufficiently prepared for colonoscopic examination.