Air-Contrast Barium Enema

Courtesy of Intermountain Medical Imaging, Boise, Idaho. All rights reserved.

In an air-contrast study, the colon is first filled with barium and then the barium is drained, leaving only a thin layer of barium on the wall of the colon. The colon is then filled with air. This barium enema image shows pouches (called diverticula) in the wall of the colon.