THE USE OF BARIUM SULFATE SUSPENSIONS IN THE STUDY OF SUSPECTED MECHANICAL OBSTRUCTION OF THE SMALL INTESTINE

¹ Professor and Chairman, Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University Hospitals, Columbus, Ohio.
² Professor, Department of Radiology, The Ohio State University Hospitals, Columbus, Ohio.

We are now using a good commercial barium sulfate suspension with increasing frequency in patients suspected of having mechanical obstruction of the small intestine. The use of this heretofore feared and neglected method of studying this group of patients in whom the clinical findings and plain roentgenograms of the abdomen are nondiagnostic will do much to preclude undue procrastination in patients who have obstructions of the small intestine, and will also aid in clarifying the abdominal symptoms in those found to be free of obstruction.

This method is entirely safe, often results in an early objective diagnosis of a mechanical obstruction, and hopefully will result in earlier operative treatment of many cases of mechanical obstruction of the small intestine. It is likely that earlier operative treatment will further lower the mortality and morbidity in that group of patients who are difficult diagnostic problems.

Much remains to be learned, and it is hoped that the use of this method will

[See Table in the PDF file]

continue to add to our knowledge of the roentgenologic manifestations of strangulating obstruction and paralytic ileus.

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