[Diagnostic imaging of inflammatory and tumorous diseases of the colon]

The detection of inflammatory and tumorous conditions of the colon is one of the main topics in current abdominal radiology. The barium enema was introduced first in 1923 by Fischer, and has represented the workhorse of intestinal diagnostics for decades. The widespread use of endoscopy and the ongoing technical improvements in CT and MRI, however, have led to an inevitable displacement of this technique. Nevertheless, radiographs and enema are frequently employed in the initial work-up of patients with suspected colonic disease. This article provides an overview of the most important entities of inflammatory and tumorous changes of the colon.