THE TRUE YIELD OF THE SMALL-INTESTINAL BARIUM STUDY

The barium examination of the small intestine is performed either as a follow-through procedure or enteroclysis (small-bowel enema). The com parative diagnostic yield of these techniques is difficult to assess, mainly because of the low incidence of disorders in the small intestin e. The available evidence indicates that enteroclysis is superior to t he follow-through for detecting and demonstrating morphological abnorm alities in the intestine. This is because the barium suspension is int roduced into the intestine directly through a tube, allowing much bett er intestinal distension than can be achieved with the follow-through.