The presence of waste in the colon prevents accurate x-ray results of the abdomen.

Therefore when a scouting X-ray is taken prior to introduction of the barium, if waste is found -- then the patient must be rescheduled for another day and must repeat the same type of colon preparation as under "colonoscopy preparation".

As with a colonoscopy examination, this rescheduling causes the patient to extend their hospital stay or suffer the inconvenience of returning to the hospital on another day.

The economic losses to the physician and the hospital are likewise incurred.

After the barium enema is completed, residual barium must be removed from the colon before it becomes dry and forms a very solid critical barium impaction -- almost like concrete can occur.

Studies at the Texas Children's Hospital have proven that the PIE* procedure is the only current means of removing the concrete-like barium impaction without surgery.

Elderly patients, fragile patients, and neurogenic bowel patients typically have a great deal of difficulty in expelling residual barium and the use of traditional methods to solve this problem requires extensive nursing time. Oral purgatives are seldom used because of the low tolerance by patients in these categories.

The PIE* procedure has repeatedly proven to remove critical residual barium effectively in as little as 30 minutes.