2018 Volume 43 Issue 2 Pages 210-215
The subject of the case is a woman in her 40ʼs, with a chief complaint of lower abdominal pain. She underwent upper gastrointestinal radiography in a medical checkup. She visited a nearby doctor five days after the examination because of lower abdominal pain. Barium retention in the colon was shown by abdominal X-ray. Barium removal using endoscopy was ineffective. The next day, abdominal CT revealed free air; therefore, she was brought to our hospital. Abdominal contrasting CT revealed barium retention mainly in the sigmoid colon and abdominal dropsy in the peritoneal cavity. We diagnosed a colon perforation, caused by barium retention, and performed an emergency surgery. The peritoneal cavity was affected by feces-related abdominal dropsy, with a perforation located in the center of the sigmoid colon. We performed Hartmannʼs operation, and the patient was released 28 days after the surgery without any complications. Colon perforation after an examination for barium is rare, but the quality of life decrease significantly, even if it is controlled. The management of bowel movements in this disease state on taking this disease is required．
