The End of Barium Enemas?

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Abstract
For many years, barium enema was the only way to obtain a complete structural examination of the colon, short of surgery. Development of the double-contrast barium enema improved the ability of the method to detect subtle lesions, and this is the only kind of barium enema that is appropriate for detecting polyps and potentially curable cancers. With the advent of fiberoptic technology and the widespread use of colonoscopy in the 1970s, the role of barium enema came into question. As evidence of the effectiveness of screening for colorectal cancer accumulated, followed by consensus on the value of screening programs, skepticism . . .