Patient Instructions For Flouroscopic Barium Enema Study

BEFORE THE TEST

• Bowel preparation - please see below Barium Enema Preparation Diet Sheet*.
  
• If you are taking Metformin (Glucophage) tablets for diabetes, please inform your physician and/or technologist. He or she may request that you stop taking these tablets for two days after the test.
  
• If you are taking any other medications, you should continue taking all your other medications except iron tablets, which should be stopped seven days before your Barium Enema Study.
  
• Please inform your physician and/or technologist when you arrive for your test if you have any of the following: 
  - Allergies.
  - Please inform your physician and/or technologist if you have any questions and/or concerns about undergoing this test and they shall be able to answer any questions and/or concerns.

ABOUT THE TEST

What will happen to me during the test?

• Your physician and/or technologist will explain the test to you. You will then be asked to fill your consent form to proceed. Please inform your physician and/or technologist if you have had any problems with your bowel preparation.
• The test usually takes about 20-30 minutes.
• You will have a small tube, called a cannula, inserted into one of the veins in your arm.
• You will be asked to lie down on the scanner table on your left side.
• A muscle relaxant will normally be injected to avoid bowel spasm.
• The nurse will then pass a small flexible tube into your rectum.
• Gas (Carbon Dioxide) will be gently introduced into your bowel through the tube in your rectum.
• Despite the muscle relaxant, you may still feel some bloating and discomfort in your abdomen.
• During this process, Fluoroscopic Imaging of the bowel is performed in different projections.
• The tube will then be removed and the procedure is completed.

Are there after-test restrictions for me to follow?

• Fluoroscopic Barium Enema is generally considered a very safe test. Problems can occur, but they are rare. Problems which might occur are similar to those which can happen with other methods of examining the large bowel, these might include the following:
  
  • Abdominal discomfort.
  • Although the Carbon Dioxide used to inflate your bowel is absorbed quickly following the procedure, some minor abdominal discomfort may remain for one to two hours. Returning to your normal diet and moving around will help to ease any remaining discomfort.
    Regular analgesics such as Paracetamol may be taken if you wish. To relax the muscles of the bowel wall, you may have been given Buscopan injection which can cause blurring of your vision.
    This is short lived and lasts for about 30 minutes. If you do experience this blurring please make sure your vision has returned to normal before driving.
  • “Faint-like” reactions.
  • Damage to the bowel wall (there may be a small tear in the lining of the colon or rectum; this is very rare and happens in less than one in 3000 tests).
• At the end of your test you will be allowed to get dressed and go home. You can now return to your normal eating and drinking pattern. We recommend that you drink plenty of fluids for the following two to three days.
• If you experience severe abdominal pain or generally feel unwell in the days following the test, please seek urgent medical advice from your physician or at the Emergency Department.