When barium enemas are used

Nowadays, barium enemas aren't carried out very often, as alternative tests such asa colonoscopy or computerised tomography (CT) scan areusually preferred.

However, a barium enema can sometimes be a useful way of finding the cause of problems such as blood in your stools or a constant change in your bowel habits.

Conditions that can be detected during a barium enema include:

  • bowel cancer
  • growths in thebowel( bowel polyps )
  • inflammation of the bowel ( ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease )
  • pouchesinthebowel ( diverticular disease )
Content supplied by the NHS Website

Medically Reviewed by a doctor on 21 Dec 2018