Roentgen examination of the cecum and proximal ascending colon with ingested barium.

Abstract

Examination of the cecum and the proximal ascending colon with ingested barium has received little mention in the radiological literature. Ross Golden has strongly recommended this type of investigation in studies of the cecum and the colon just distal to the ileocecal valve (3, 4). Others have also mentioned that the procedure may often be worthwhile in evaluating the right colon (1, 2, 5). We have found it an extremely useful maneuver as an adjunct to the barium-enema study of the large intestine. The cecum can be difficult to examine thoroughly by barium enema. Since it is the last portion of the colon to be filled, debris and fluid may occasionally be brought to it by the enema, from the distal colon. During filling of the proximal colon the patient may be uncomfortable and unco-operative, so that an adequate fluoroscopic spot-film study is hard to obtain (Fig. 1). On occasion, it is difficult to be certain that the cecum is filled by the enema. Since elucidation of the differential diagnosis of lesio...