Postendoscopy barium enema examinations.

A study was designed to evaluate whether sigmoidoscopy performed on the same day as barium enema examination interferes with quality or interpretation of the barium study. The study included 295 patients who had either single- or double-contrast barium enema examinations subsequent to sigmoidoscopy performed either on a prior day or the same day. Luminal air, spasm, colonic fluid, and mucosal coating were assessed, as was the resultant diagnostic quality of each barium examination. The results suggest that rigid or fiberoptic sigmoidoscopy can be performed the same day as single- or double-contrast barium enema examinations without adversely affecting the quality or interpretation of the barium study.