The aim of a study published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition was to assess the efficacy of polyethylene glycol plus electrolytes (PEG + E) as oral monotherapy in the treatment of fecal impaction in children, and to compare PEG + E with lactulose as maintenance therapy in a randomized trial. This was an open-label study of PEG + E in the inpatient treatment of fecal impaction, followed by a randomized, double-blinded comparison between PEG + E and lactulose for maintenance treatment of constipation over a 3-month period in children, 2 to 11 years of age, with a clinical diagnosis of fecal impaction. It was observed that disimpaction on PEG + E was achieved in 58 of the 63 children without additional interventions. The maximum required doses were 4 sachets for 2-4 year olds and 6 sachets for 5-11 year olds; median time to disimpaction was 6 days, with a range of 3-7 days. On the other hand, seven children reimpacted during lactulose treatment, whereas no children reimpacted while taking PEG + E. Additionally, the overall incidence rate of adverse events was higher in the lactulose group than in the PEG + E group. From the results, it was concluded that PEG + E is safe and highly effective in the management of childhood constipation. It was stated that PEG + E allows a single orally administered laxative to be used for disimpaction without necessitating invasive interventions.