An analysis of 200 patients with negative small bowel enemas.

Clinical, operative and pathological findings were used to assess the ability of the small bowel enema to exclude organic disease in the small intestine. On the basis of 200 patients with negative small bowel enemas it is concluded that there was a very low incidence of false negative results on clinical grounds and in 36 patients coming to surgery or autopsy, 25 (69%) had no evidence of intrinsic or extrinsic small bowel disease while 11 (31%) had various lesions which are discussed. Review of the radiology in these patients indicated a number of technical problems.