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who, what, when and how of Barium enema
Barium enema definition - medical term
A series of x-rays of the lower intestine (colon) and rectum
that are taken after the patient is given an enema with a white, chalky solution
that contains barium. The barium outlines the intestines on the x-rays. These x-rays
permit the detection of colon and rectal abnormalities including diverticulosis,
diverticulitis, abnormal colon movement, dilation (widening) of the colon, polyps
and cancers of the colon and rectum.
Air can be instilled into the colon along with the barium contrast medium to
further define structures of the large bowel and rectum. Polyps and small cancers
are more readily found using this method which is called an air contrast barium
enema or a double-contrast barium enema. This is the only kind of barium enema that
is appropriate for detecting colorectal polyps and potentially curable colorectal
cancers.
The barium enema was for years the only way to do a complete examination of the
colon shy of surgery, but with the advent of fiberoptic technology and the widespread
use of colonoscopy, the role of the barium enema has declined. Although the barium
enema is clearly better than colonoscopy in regard to safety and cost, colonoscopy
in recent year has been replacing barium enemas.
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