[The significance of x-ray-examination in early diagnosis of colon carcinoma compared with colonoscopy (author's transl)].

The medical literature and our own observations show the importance of x-ray examinations to diagnose colon carcinoma. The conventional barium enema examination without double contrast is not suitable for a general medical check-up. In contrast to the diagnostic value of the conventional procedure, the diagnostic accuracy of double contrast examination is comparable to that of the colonoscopy. In 1108 patients, endoscopically proven polyps smaller than 1 cm were detected in 61%, whereas the percentage for polyps bigger than 1 cm was 87. These results are achieved only in patients with a sufficient preparation. Two of 25 colorectal carcinomas were detected neither by endoscopy nor by the double contrast method.