Appendicitis associated with recent barium study.

There have been several reports of "barium-induced" appendicitis in the literature. When confronted with a possible case of this phenomenon, a review of the literature on the subject was carried out. The suggestion is made that there is no evidence to support a cause-effect relationship between barium retained in the appendix and appendicitis. Diseased appendices can be marked by retained barium and a higher likelihood may then exist for the subsequent development of appendicitis. Following the finding of prolonged retention of barium after contrast study, it is recommended that the patient be instructed as to the possibility of developing symptoms of acute appendicitis. Patients who present with symptoms of appendicitis should be questioned as to history of recent barium study, and x-rays should be reviewed with the possibility of finding appendoliths.