Discomfort during double-contrast barium enema examination: a placebo-controlled double-blind evaluation of the effect of glucagon and diazepam.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of glucagon and diazepam as compared with placebo in decreasing abdominal discomfort in patients during double-contrast barium enema examination.

Materials And Methods: Thirty-six men (n = 9) and women (n = 27) aged 21-62 years with "a lot or terrible discomfort" during double-contrast barium enema examination were randomized into double-blind groups of 12 patients each at the onset of examination. Each group received a placebo, glucagon (1 mg), or diazepam (5 mg) intravenously. Discomfort was scored on a four-point scale by the patients.

Results: Repeated measures analysis of variance findings indicated that those who received an active drug reported significantly (P = .001) greater relief of discomfort. Discomfort scores improved, on average, 2.2 in the glucagon, 2.0 in the diazepam, and 1.2 in the placebo groups. Colonic spasm did not correlate with abdominal discomfort.

Conclusion: Discomfort during double-contrast barium enema examination can be statistically significantly diminished with a hypotonic agent or a sedative.