What Are the Considerations for a Barium Enema?
Two days before a barium enema, one should avoid eating foods with high fiber and coarse fiber content. Oral laxatives should be taken to cleanse the intestines and eliminate any contraindications for barium enema. During a barium enema, diluted barium sulfate is injected through the anus, followed by a small amount of air, allowing visualization of the rectum, entire colon, and cecum. It is clinically used for the diagnosis and examination of space-occupying lesions, inflammatory lesions, intussusception, and other diseases.
1. Diet: For the two days before the examination, a low-fiber diet should be followed, with minimal consumption of coarse fiber foods.
2. Bowel Preparation: Before the barium enema, the intestine should be cleansed using soap water enema and oral laxatives.
3. Contraindications for Barium Enema: Main contraindications include severe cardiopulmonary dysfunction, intolerance to the examination, acute phase of gastrointestinal bleeding, and intestinal obstruction.
After the barium enema, a mild laxative can be taken or an additional enema can be performed to promote the excretion of barium sulfate, avoiding exacerbation of existing intestinal diseases caused by barium sulfate. Symptomatic and supportive treatment should be provided based on the specific cause.
The principle involves administering a preparation that the body cannot digest and absorb, and then using radiographic imaging to determine the presence of space-occupying or ulcerative diseases based on the morphological changes formed by the preparation in the body.
Barium enema procedures include simple barium sulfate enema and double-contrast barium enema with air. The former is only used to evaluate patients with obstruction or fistulas, while the latter is the most commonly used X-ray examination of the large intestine. It can observe mucosal manifestations and detect small lesions, and can be used to examine various space-occupying lesions of the large intestine (colorectal cancer), inflammatory lesions, diverticulum, pneumatosis intestinalis, intussusception, and congenital megacolon.
