Case report: persistent colonic spasm concealing a carcinoma--an uncommon diagnostic pitfall of the barium enema examination.

Colonic carcinomas may be missed on the barium enema examination for a variety of perceptive, technical, and interpretive reasons. We report an uncommon source of error-persistent bowel spasm resulting in concealment of an underlying carcinoma. Awareness of this association is necessary in the effort to minimize diagnostic pitfalls of the barium enema examination.