Two Cases of Colonic Perforation after Barium Gastrography

Abstract

Perforation of the colon after barium gastrography is extremely rare. We report two cases of the disease with a review of the literature. Case 1 involved a 68-year-old male who presented with abdominal pain the day after undergoing barium study for gastric cancer screening. Abdominal Computed Tomography (CT) and Gastrografin Enema (GE) suggested perforation of the sigmoid colon. An emergency operation revealed a 6-cm perforation in the sigmoid colon. Hartmann′s operation and drainage were performed. Case 2 involved a 48-year-old female who presented with abdominal pain two days after undergoing barium study for gastric cancer screening. Abdominal CT and GE suggested perforation of the descending colon. An emergency operation revealed a 5-cm perforation in the descending colon. Descending colon resection and colostomy were performed. Colonic perforation is one of the complications of barium gastrography, but it occurs rarely. It is important to consider the selection of modality for gastric cancer screening and the risk management of barium gastrography.