Primary malignant tumors in the small bowel: a comparison of the small-bowel enema and conventional follow-through examination.

Of 71 patients diagnosed with primary mesenteric malignant tumors in the small bowel over a 21-year period in a community/teaching hospital, 14 underwent small-bowel follow-through, 16 underwent small-bowel enema (enteroclysis), and four patients underwent both studies preoperatively. In a retrospective study, the sensitivity of both the small-bowel enema and the conventional small-bowel follow-through examination were compared on the basis of the original radiologic interpretation. The studies were ordered by clinicians in a clinical setting. Results of the small-bowel follow-through were abnormal in 11 of 18 patients for a sensitivity of 61%, and small-bowel enema showed abnormalities in 19 of 20 patients for a sensitivity of 95% (p = .0165). The actual tumor was shown in six (33%) of 18 small-bowel follow-through studies and in 18 (90%) of 20 small-bowel enemas (p = .0005). In four patients, normal findings on conventional small-bowel follow-through were followed by abnormal findings on small-bowel enema done for the same reason. This experience suggests that the small-bowel enema is more sensitive than the conventional follow-through examination for the detection of small-bowel cancers.