Abstract: Objective To compare the effect of solution-type and powder-type polyethylene glycol electrolyte in bowel preparation before colonoscopy. Methods Total 400 patients who underwent colonoscopy in the Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from October 2018 to April 2019 were selected. Patients were randomly divided into A and B groups using equidistant random sampling, 200 cases in each group. Group A was treated with solution-type polyethylene glycol electrolyte oral solution and group B with powder-type compound polyethylene glycol electrolyte powder. The cleanliness of bowel, incidence of gastrointestinal symptoms and patient satisfaction were observed. Results Both solution-type and powder-type polyethylene glycol electrolytes had good bowel cleansing effects(84.0% vs. 81.5%), and the difference was no significant(χ²=0.438, P=0.508). Two types of polyethylene glycol caused a higher incidence of nausea and bloating. The incidence of nausea and bloating in the powder-type polyethylene glycol electrolytes were higher than those of the solution-type polyethylene glycol electrolytes(14.0% vs. 7.5% and 11.0% vs. 4.5%), the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05), and the total incidence of gastrointestinal discomfort symptoms was also higher in powder-type polyethylene glycol electrolytes(27.5% vs. 9.5%, χ²=21.490, P<0.001). The satisfaction of group A patients(8.96±0.56) was significantly higher than that of group B(8.36±0.83), t=8.440, P<0.001. Conclusion Solution-type and powder-type polyethylene glycol electrolytes have comparable bowel cleansing performance, but solution-type polyethylene glycol electrolytes have a lower incidence of gastrointestinal discomfort and better patient satisfaction, which has better clinical application advantages.