At present, when innovation delights us with the most modern technologies in any industry, high-quality equipment will help to check the work of all organs of the human body and identify failures. There are several ways to identify diseases in the colon. With their help, you can detect the presence of fistulas, tumors, malformations, diagnose, trace changes in the course of a particular disease. To find out which is better - colonoscopy or barium enema, it is necessary to understand in more detail the intricacies of one and the other examination. But preference in the choice still depends on the characteristics of the organism and the symptoms of the disease.
Colonoscopy, its features
The main advantage of colonoscopy is that in most patients who have undergone this procedure, it is possible to examine the condition of the entire large intestine. During the study, you can take a biopsy of those areas where there is any suspicion of the disease, and you can immediately remove the polyps. If suddenly there is even the slightest suspicion of the presence of tumors in the large intestine, the determination of which is better - a colonoscopy orirrigoscopy, - depends only on the competence of the doctor.
In certain cases, it is best to start the study with irrigoscopy, and later, if the suspicion of a neoplasm is confirmed and you need to take the material for histology, you can apply a colonoscopy. It is this method that is considered the most accurate and is in demand for those severe cases when all previously used examination methods were ineffective. But in those "blind" zones, in the folds of the intestine and bends, colonoscopy is not effective.
These two studies of the intestine have different capabilities and goals, and therefore it is impossible to give a specific answer to the question of which is better - colonoscopy or barium enema. Both procedures make it possible to detect the disease in time and prevent death.
The complexity of determining a cancer in the colon lies in the unsystematic growth of the tumor, which can be determined already in the last stages. Colonoscopy makes it possible to detect an inflammatory process in any part of the intestine and easily, without consequences, rid the patient of adenomatous polyps. This procedure is often only performed under anesthesia as it is very painful and uncomfortable.
Irrigoscopy: its characteristics
The main advantage of irrigoscopy is the ability to identify segments of the intestine in which narrowing is observed, indicate how it is located in the abdominal cavity, and determine its size. This diagnostic method consists in the fact that the intestines are filledbarium contrast, after which the part that follows is photographed using x-rays. The resulting picture will clearly show the anatomy of the intestine and fairly large neoplasms in it, but you will not see inflammatory processes and the presence of polyps on it.
This research method is used if there is a suspicion of a narrowing of the intestine, or if a person does not tolerate a colonoscopy. This diagnosis is considered sparing and does not cause complications.
What is the difference between colonoscopy and barium enema?
These two types of research reveal malfunctions in the work of the intestines, pathologies throughout the colon. Irrigoscopy or colonoscopy still have differences, and they lie in the very method of diagnosis.
Irrigoscopy is an X-ray examination, and colonoscopy is an endoscopic diagnostic procedure.
During an irrigoscopy, the doctor takes pictures of the colon, before that filling its entire cavity with barium sulfate. This solution fills the intestine and allows the x-ray to better view the pathology of the intestine. If you do not use it and take a picture, then you will not see anything on it. The doctor can make a diagnosis only from the pictures.
During a colonoscopy, the diagnostician inserts a flexible tube into the patient's colon and examines the entire inner surface of the intestine with it, thereby fixing the affected area of the intestine. This diagnostic method allowsonly to conduct an examination, but also makes it possible to carry out medical manipulations:
- removal of polyps;
- stop internal bleeding in the intestines;
- restoration of the normal lumen in the intestine in the area of narrowing.
In addition, during this study, the doctor can take samples for histology and monitor the correctness of the treatment. But it is rather difficult to answer exactly which is better - irrigoscopy or colonoscopy. Each of these techniques is good in its own area and helps in solving many problems.
What to choose?
Irrigoscopy or colonoscopy - which is better? If we compare these two methods of conducting diagnostics, then the main thing that you should pay attention to is the lack of a 100% guarantee on the accuracy of the data obtained. Neither one nor the second method will be able to determine all intestinal pathologies effectively. But still, doctors give priority to colonoscopy.
Only she can give reliable information about the internal state of the intestine and even allows you to get samples for further research, and in some patients it will even help to remove polyps. But neither a colonoscopy nor an irrigoscopy will help to make an accurate diagnosis.
Pros and cons of bowel research
Diseases associated with the intestines, significantly affect the quality of human life. When choosing a diagnostic method, you should not postpone the study, and you need to choose only high-qualitysurvey.
Colonoscopy can be compared with tomography, and it is it that provides more opportunities for in-depth examination and detection of a large number of pathologies. She also helps to take samples for biopsy and helps in treatment. This method is considered the most difficult, after which the patient has the impression that his stomach is swollen for a while, but after a short period of time, all symptoms disappear.
Irrigoscopy also has its advantages - this procedure is not so painful, and the degree of injury from it is minimal. This method is well suited in cases where it is difficult to check certain areas of the intestine - twists and pockets otherwise.
And the main disadvantages of diagnostics are contraindications to its implementation:
- Intussusception;
- pronounced form of diverticulosis.
In cases where there is suspicion of obstruction in the intestine, then irrigoscopy is performed using water-soluble substances, and this greatly affects the quality of the images.
Getting ready for barium enema
Colonoscopy or colonoscopy requires preliminary preparation of the body. Proper preparation of the bowel for the procedure will significantly increase the chances of accurate results.
Before going for an irrigoscopy, the patient must follow a diet and cleanse the intestines. All foods that can cause bloating should be excluded from the diet for a few days. It is forbiddeneat:
- Fresh vegetables and fruits.
- Barley.
- Wheat and oatmeal.
- Exclude all kinds of greens and black bread.
It is best to go on a steam diet for a few days - dishes cooked only in a steam bath. Before the procedure, do not eat the evening before and in the morning.
As for cleansing procedures, accurate results of barium enema can be obtained with a clean intestine, so the patient should take a laxative and do an enema.
Are there complications after barium enema?
If the procedure was carried out correctly, then irrigoscopy or colonoscopy of the intestine should not give complications. But when a barium sulfate preparation is administered, a person may experience discomfort in the intestinal area and pain. After the procedure, the patient may have stool retention due to the drug, but taking laxatives and an enema will help in solving this problem.
Preparing for a colonoscopy
Irrigoscopy or colonoscopy, which is better? Each of these diagnostics is good in its own way and it is imperative to prepare well for each of them, only in this case you can get more accurate research data.
Preparation is needed in order to cleanse the intestines for an accurate examination of all its sections and to identify narrowing. There should be no feces, gases, blood and mucus in the intestines, only in this case it is possible to examine every centimeter of the intestines without any problems. This is a general condition that is voiced in any diagnostic center or hospital, wherever there is a medical institution, state orprivate.
For example, irrigoscopy or colonoscopy in St. Petersburg according to compulsory medical insurance is carried out only after a three-day diet. Before a colonoscopy, the patient can eat:
- low-fat broths and only on the second water;
- boiled beef, chicken, including fish;
- cottage cheese and kefir;
- bad cookies and white bread.
From all other products, including fresh vegetables and fruits, it is better to completely refuse. Such a strict diet has not harmed anyone yet, but it has allowed us to conduct an examination of the intestine with maximum accuracy.
Before going for a colonoscopy, the patient should not have dinner or breakfast, you can drink water or tea, take a laxative and make a cleansing enema.
There are also medications to help prepare the bowel for a colonoscopy:
- "Fortrans".
- "Duphalac".
- "Lavacol".
They are all laxatives and will help clear the bowels easily and without further discomfort.
Complications after a colonoscopy can be?
The most serious complication after a colonoscopy can be bleeding or perforation of the bowel, but these cases are very rare. After the study, a person may feel discomfort in the intestinal area, but he should lie down a bit, preferably on his stomach, and all discomfort will go away.
Patient feedback on diagnostics
When it comes to examining the intestines, the question arises: irrigoscopy or colonoscopy - which is more informative? It is difficult to give an exact answer. It depends on many factors: the condition of the patient, the disease. It is impossible to say for sure which is better - a colonoscopy or an irrigoscopy of the intestine, since each person has his own body and its own symptoms. If it was possible to identify the disease in one patient using one method, then it may not help much in another. For each, a certain diagnostic method is effective - colonoscopy or barium enema. Patient reviews vary. Someone notes pain, someone, on the contrary, the simplicity of the procedure. In general, patients respond positively to both methods. The main thing, as we have already said, is to properly prepare for one and the other procedure in order to get the most accurate answers to all questions related to bowel function.
