Appendiceal filling by double-contrast barium enema.

The barium enema is a safe and useful diagnostic modality in the evaluation of patients with suspected acute appendicitis. Complete appendiceal filling with barium virtually excludes this diagnosis. Frequently positive diagnostic information is obtained. Only 1 study in the literature documents the frequency of normal appendiceal filling by barium enema. The authors utilized the single-contrast technique. We recorded the frequency of normal appendiceal filling with the double-contrast technique and then compared our data with the previously published study to determine if there is a significant clinical disadvantage to the double-contrast technique when acute appendicitis is a diagnostic consideration.