The investigation of symptomatic inguinal hernia: a complication of barium enema

The controversy surrounding the value of performing screening barium enema in patients with inguinal hernia persists. It was Myers & Zollinger who, in 1942, reviewed 200 consecutive cases of inguinal hernia and noted that 18%; of patients complained of gastrointestinal symptoms. Of these, two cases of adenocarcinoma were discovered on further evaluation. Subsequently, many authors have reported a low diagnostic yield of barium enema in patients with inguinal hernia unless specific colonic symptoms were present. We present a case in which this investigation was indicated, but led to irreducibility.