Clinical utility of enteroclysis

Abstract

The incidence of pathology in the small bowel is substantially lower than in the upper gastrointestinal tract or colon. This is fortunate since the small bowel, with its unique anatomy and remote location is the most difficult section of the gastrointestinal tract to study. Instillation of contrast into the small bowel lumen can be achieved by the oral route or by the more recently refined technique of small bowel intubation/infusion called enteroclysis. This brief review will focus on the clinical infusion indications for and efficacy of enteroclysis and the relative advantages of enteroclysis over oral methods of small bowel radiography.