Double-contrast barium-enema examination and endoscopy in the detection of polypoid lesions in the cecum and ascending colon.

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Abstract
Fifty-three patients with 54 polypoid lesions in the ascending colon and cecum underwent colonscopy and double-contract Ba enema examination (DC-BE). Colonscopy could not completely examine the cecum in 3 patients (failure rate 6%) and DC-BE had 4 false positive results. Colonscopy detected 40 lesions (sensitivity 78%) and DC-BE 45 lesions (sensitivity 88%). A carcinoma and a villous adenoma were missed by both methods. The overall accuracy for colonoscopy was 80%, 76% if corrected for unsuccessful procedures. DC-BE showed accuracy rates of 82% and 83%. In combination, the 2 methods had 97% accuracy. DC-BE is slightly better than colonoscopy for evaluating well-prepared patients with suscepted polypoid lesions in the right colon, but stresses the complementary nature of the 2 methods and the need for repeating negative examinations by 1 modality in the presence of a positive result by the other.