Barium Enema for Children

Tests such as this are vitally important to diagnose and help manage your child's health problems. The radiologist will interpret the study and report the findings to your doctor. You may discuss the results with your doctor.

Please feel free to ask the technologist or radiologist about any part of the test you don't understand. Presbyterian has the best interest of your child at heart and we want to be sure that all your questions are answered.

How Should I Prepare for This Test?

Your doctor will give you instructions on how to prepare for the exam. He or she may ask that the child have nothing to eat after midnight, not even water, and may prescribe a laxative to help clean out the colon. Other times, these preparations are not necessary. Usually, the child can eat right after the test is over.

What Will Happen During the Test?

First, your child will lie down on the X-ray table. An X-ray technician will insert a tube into the child's rectum. Insertion of the tube is not painful, but you should expect protests, since it will be strange and thus frightening to the child. Then the technologist will securely tape your child's buttocks together to help hold the tube in place.

The colon is then filled with barium, a special dye that shows up on x-ray film. This may be uncomfortable for your child, as it will make him feel full, like he has to go to the bathroom.

As the colon is filled with barium, the radiologist will watch with a machine called a fluoroscope. The child will be rolled from side to side, and the radiologist may press down gently on the child's stomach to get a clearer view. The technologist will also take a series of X-ray films, which the radiologist will review. The amount of radiation your child receives will not endanger his or her health.

Your child will need to be still while the images are taken. If he or she is upset and won't hold still, he or she may need to be restrained. After the X-rays are taken (about five to 10 minutes), the barium is drained back out of the tube, and your child can go to the toilet. Sometimes one more X-ray is made after that.

This test may be uncomfortable for children, though it's usually not painful. But since your child will not like what's happening to him or her, you should expect some crying. In most cases, one or both parents are allowed to stay in the examining room with the child or watch from behind a screen if they want to. Occasionally, the radiologist will feel it's in the best interest of the child that only medical personnel be in the room.

What Should I Expect After the Test?

Barium sometimes causes constipation in children. Giving your child extra fluids or a mild laxative can prevent it. Your child's bowel movement will be white for a day or two after the exam, and this is normal.