Lower gastrointestinal series

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Lower gastrointestinal series
Radiograph of a barium enema displaying a colonic herniation.
ICD-9-CM	87.64

A lower gastrointestinal series is a medical procedure used to examine and diagnose problems with the human colon of the large intestine. Radiographs (X-ray pictures) are taken while barium sulfate, a radiocontrast agent, fills the colon via an enema through the rectum.

The term barium enema usually refers to a lower gastrointestinal series, although enteroclysis (an upper gastrointestinal series) is often called a small bowel barium enema.