For patients: What is the difference between intestinal irrigoscopy and colonoscopy, which is better?

Indications

The irrigoscopy method is used to diagnose the following diseases:

• Fistulas;
• Tumors in the large intestine;
• Megacolon;
• Spikes;
• Scarring;
• Diverticula;
• Inflammation in the colon (chronicle).

Irrigoscopy is prescribed when:

• The functioning of the intestines (large) is impaired;
• There are difficulties with defecation;
• There are abdominal pains, but the causes are unclear;
• An inflammatory process in the intestinal area is suspected;
• There are substances of a different color in the feces;
• There are recurrent formations;
• They want to assess the consistency of anastomoses in the intestines.

Contraindications for surgery

The study is contraindicated in patients who have:

• Acute ulcerative colitis;
• Perforation (formation of a through hole) of the colon;
• Serious condition;
• Suspicion of perforation of the colon;
• Megacolon is toxic;
• Ischemic colitis;
• Arterial hypertension with the presence of tachycardia;
• Lactation;
• Pregnancy;
• Early childhood.

Biopsy

Irrigoscopy should be performed carefully if:

• There is diverticulitis;
• Bloody diarrhea;
• The chronicle was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis;
• There is cystic pneumatosis.

What is irrigoscopy

Irrigoscopy is an x-ray examination of the colon, during which a contrast agent is injected into it and x-rays (irrigograms) are taken to assess the anatomical structure and identify possible diseases.

Indications for irrigoscopy:

• clarification of the diagnosis of various diseases (tumors, chronic proctitis, fistulas, cicatricial constrictions, etc.)
• assessment of intestinal motility and elasticity

In some cases, irrigoscopy is a necessary addition to colonoscopy, since this study allows you to see pathological changes in areas “blind” for colonoscopy (behind the folds of the mucosa, in the area of ​​​​the bends of the colon, in the tortuous sigmoid colon).

Contraindications to irrigoscopy:

• pregnancy
• serious condition
• perforation (hole) of the intestinal wall

Kinds

There are two forms of irrigoscopy.

Procedure with a simple contrast method

This form of irrigoscopy involves the use of barium alone.

This research method should be done for older people and patients whose health has deteriorated in the postoperative period. It is done to determine intestinal motility.

With such filling of the intestine, this method allows you to obtain the clearest contours.

Double contrast procedure

This method involves the use of barium suspension and air.

It reveals tumors, ulcerative defects of the intestine, polyps in the intestinal lumen, intestinal obstructions and diverticula.

Preparation

It is very important to properly and well prepare the patient for the procedure. If the intestines are not completely cleansed, particles from other procedures remain, there are difficulties with barium retention in the body, or there is a psychological factor, then the result of the study may be distorted.

You need to prepare for the procedure like this:

• For a week, it is recommended to go on a diet with a minimized amount of protein and fiber, as well as foods that promote gas formation;
• Four days in advance, it is necessary to discontinue medications that increase or decrease intestinal motility;
• The day before irrigoscopy, you can fast for medicinal purposes and drink water heavily so that you can drink about three liters per day;
• From six o'clock in the evening the night before irrigoscopy you do not need to eat or drink;
• Requires bowel cleansing with an enema and laxatives.

If you are taking medications that affect blood clotting or anti-inflammatory drugs, your doctor should indicate their use. The day before surgery, all medications are discontinued, with the exception of insulin.

Differences from colonoscopy

Irrigoscopy or colonoscopy - which is better for the intestines? Before answering this question, it is necessary to highlight their main distinguishing features. This:

• Execution method
  . Colonoscopy does not require the use of contrast or x-rays. Unlike competitive medical manipulation, it only uses a flexible probe with a camera.
• Purpose
  . Irrigoscopic examination is used exclusively for diagnostic purposes (except for intussusception in children), and during colonoscopy, polyps can be removed, bleeding can be stopped, or a biopsy can be taken.

Carrying out the operation

The patient is placed on one side. Using an enema, the intestines are filled with barium, which is ready for the procedure. X-ray images are taken at the same time.

X-ray images show the location of the intestine, its length, shape, how elastic and stretchable it is.

When emptying the intestine from barium, an image is taken with air to understand whether there are functional or organic disorders in the intestinal wall.

This procedure usually takes half an hour if double contrast is done.

The results take from thirty minutes to three days to interpret (it all depends on the place where the procedure was performed).

Irrigoscopy is done without painkillers or anesthesia. It is painless, but may cause some discomfort.

What complications

Typically, this type of research is not considered dangerous. Complications during irrigoscopy occur extremely rarely. It happens that a perforation of the intestine occurs and the contrast agent enters the peritoneal cavity. In this case, urgent surgery will be needed.

If suddenly after the operation signs such as nausea, vomiting, fever, pain in the abdominal area, dizziness and weakness up to loss of consciousness appear, then you need to be wary.

A feature of this type of research is the ease of execution, the ability to carry out the procedure with little equipment, and the procedure’s low invasiveness. Further, X-ray images will become visual material for subsequent consultations with doctors to assess the patient’s health status.

The Onco.Rehab clinic guarantees painless and high-quality diagnostics, which will help you in treating the disease.

Intestinal irrigography: what it is, how it is carried out, preparation - MEDSI

Table of contents

• What is irrigoscopy?
• What does the study show?
• Stages of irrigography
• Indications for irrigography
• Contraindications
• Preparing for the examination
• Advantages of carrying out the procedure at MEDSI

The intestines are an important part of the human body, which is responsible for both the digestion process and the removal of feces from the body.
It consists of several parts:

• Small intestine:
• Duodenum - food eaten from the stomach enters here
• Small intestine - here food is digested, nutrients are absorbed, after which the rest of the food is sent to the next section
• Valve - through it, unnecessary remnants of processed food enter the colon

• Large intestine - where stool is formed
• Rectum - through it feces are removed from the body

Disruption of any of these areas leads to problems in the functioning of the entire organism as a whole.

What is irrigoscopy?

Irrigoscopy of the small intestine is a type of x-ray examination in which a barium contrast solution is injected into the patient's body. The use of contrast is necessary for the intestines to be visible on an x-ray (since they are not normally visible on x-rays). A barium solution is injected into the rectum, after which images are taken.

This analysis is used to find out whether the patient has disorders or pathologies in the structure of the intestine, whether there are neoplasms or other diseases of this organ.

The procedure is non-invasive - it does not require abdominal incisions - and not endoscopic (in a standard situation, no sensors are inserted into the human body to carry it out). It is painless and does not cause discomfort to the patient.

What does the study show?

Irrigoscopy is used to examine and assess the condition of different parts of the intestine. It allows you to determine:

• The presence or absence of disturbances in the operation of the valve (bauhinium valve) - it should open only in one direction
• Condition, location, diameter, elasticity and shape of the colon
• The quality of functioning of the intestinal sections
• Presence of gastric pathologies
• Presence of obstruction
• Qualitative condition of the inner lining of the intestine (presence of polyps, ulcers, ruptures, scars, cracks)
• Does the patient have any neoplasms (tumors) or diverticula (protrusion of the intestinal wall)
• Are there pathologies of interaction between the intestine and adjacent organs?

Stages of irrigography

Irrigoscopy of the large and small intestines takes place in two stages:

• General x-ray examination of the lower abdominal cavity
• Barium contrast examination

The first stage is used to diagnose the presence of surgical pathologies of the intestine. At this time, the patient lies on his back.

A barium solution is then injected into the patient's body through the rectum. After it has spread through the intestines, several pictures are taken. For this stage, the patient takes the following position: lying on his left side, pressing his legs to his stomach and placing his hands behind his back. After this procedure, the patient has a bowel movement, and doctors take another picture.

If there is a suspicion of cancer or another tumor, the doctor may do a double contrast study. In this case, after the previous stage, air is pumped into the rectum and then another series of pictures is taken.

When examining children using irrigoscopy, there are several nuances:

• If necessary, an ultrasound probe may be inserted into the intestine during the examination.
• If the procedure is prescribed for a small child, it will be performed under general anesthesia.

Indications for irrigography

This study is prescribed in the following cases:

• The patient has nonspecific ulcerative colitis
• There is a suspicion of cancer or another tumor
• The doctor suspects the appearance of polyps, ulcers or other disorders of the mucous membrane
• Possibility of having Crohn's disease (irreversible changes in the intestines)
• Possibility of obstruction
• There is a suspicion of a foreign body in the intestine
• Diagnosed with tuberculosis or Grishsprung's disease (congenital anomaly in organ development)
• Suspected injury or damage

Also, irrigoscopy of the large and small intestines is prescribed in the presence of symptoms such as:

• The appearance of bloody and mucous discharge in the stool
• Sudden weight loss for unknown reasons
• Permanent abdominal pain, discomfort in the anal area
• Regular bowel dysfunction (constipation, diarrhea)

It is worth undergoing a similar examination in the event of a decrease in hemoglobin levels, which occurred for unclear reasons. It is also prescribed if it is impossible to do a colonoscopy.

It is necessary to undergo irrigography for preventive purposes for people over fifty years of age whose family has a predisposition to colorectal cancer (one of the relatives suffered from this disease).

Contraindications

Irrigography cannot be used in such cases as:

• The patient has been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease
• The patient suffers from an infectious disease accompanied by fever
• The man is in a coma
• Woman pregnant
• The patient is in lactation period
• The patient has swelling or inflammation of the brain
• Exacerbation of ulcerative colitis diagnosed
• Allergy to contrast agent
• The patient's intestinal patency is extremely impaired
• There is injury or rupture of the intestinal wall

In the last two cases, the barium solution may enter the abdominal cavity, which will lead to serious complications in the patient's condition.

Preparing for the examination

Irrigoscopy of the large and small intestines requires simple preparation. But it is important to remember that the accuracy of the research results depends on its quality, so you must strictly follow the doctor’s instructions.

Preparatory procedures include two important stages:

• Compliance with diet rules
• Colon cleansing before the procedure

Two to three days before the examination, you need to start following a diet, namely, exclude foods such as:

• Vegetables (cabbage, carrots, beets)
• Legumes (corn, beans, peas, lentils)
• Porridge (barley, oatmeal, millet)
• Fruits (apples, apricots, bananas, oranges)
• Bakery products
• Dairy
• Sweet
• Fast food
• Fatty and smoked foods

Such products lead to excessive gas formation and take a long time to digest.

The last meal should be on the eve of the study, no later than 6 pm.

Also, the day before and in the morning of the test, it is necessary to do a cleansing enema or use drugs that stimulate the release of feces from the intestines.

Advantages of carrying out the procedure at MEDSI

• In the MEDSI network of clinics, the procedure for irrigoscopy of the large and small intestines is performed by experienced coloproctologists, oncologists and surgeons of the highest qualification categories, candidates of medical sciences
• Clinical centers have high-tech modern equipment that uses gentle X-ray radiation, but allows you to take the most accurate images
• Specialists will help you prepare correctly for the procedure to ensure the best possible result.
• To make an appointment for a consultation, you do not need to go to the reception desk, since you can easily make an appointment by calling 8 (495) 7-800-500