Acute appendicitis in a child associated with prolonged appendiceal retention of barium (barium appendicitis).

An instance of acute appendicitis in a child associated with prolonged retention of barium by the appendix and formation of a barolith was presented. Previous reports have implicated barium in the etiology of appendicitis and suggest routine roentgenographic follow-up of all cases in which barium enters the appendix. Considering the frequency of this observation and the lack of an established relationship between prolonged retention of barium and appendicitis, this suggestion seems unwarranted.