Editing Enema (section)

{{Short description|Injection of fluid into the large intestine, or the fluid injected, or the apparatus employed}}
{{Distinguish|Edema|Ænima|Anima (disambiguation){{!}}Anima}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2016}}
[[File:Rectal bulb syringe.jpg|thumb|250px|Rectal bulb syringe to administer smaller enemas.]]

An '''enema''', also known as a '''clyster''', is the [[rectal administration]] of a fluid by injection into the [[Large intestine|lower bowel]] via the [[anus]].<ref name=Cullingworth_introduction>Cullingworth, ''A Manual of Nursing, Medical and Surgical'':155</ref> The word ''enema'' can also refer to the liquid injected,<ref name=Merriam-Webster_Enema>{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enema |title=enema noun |work=[[Webster's Dictionary#Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language|Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language]] |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]]  |access-date=2019-04-15 }}</ref><ref name=Free_Dictionary_Enema>{{cite web |url=https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Enema |title=Enema|work=The Free Dictionary |publisher=[[TheFreeDictionary.com]] |access-date=2019-04-15 }}</ref> as well as to a device for administering such an injection.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/enema |title=enema |work=[[Dictionary.com]] |publisher=s[[Ask.com]] |access-date=2019-04-15 }}</ref>

In standard medicine, the most frequent uses of enemas are to relieve constipation and for bowel cleansing before a medical examination or procedure;<ref name= Biology_Online_Dictionary>{{cite web |url = http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Soapsuds_enema |title = Soapsuds enema |website = Biology-Online Dictionary |publisher = Biology-Online |access-date = 6 August 2014 }}</ref> also, they are employed as a [[lower gastrointestinal series]] (also called a barium enema),<ref name=NIH_barium>{{MedlinePlusEncyclopedia|003817|Barium enema}}</ref> to treat [[Travelers' diarrhea|traveler's diarrhea]],<ref name= Travellers_Diarrhea>{{cite journal |title= Management of traveller's diarrhoea with a combination of sodium butyrate, organic acids, and A-300 silicon dioxide |journal = Przeglad Gastroenterologiczny|volume = 9|issue = 5|pages = 285–290|date = 19 October 2014 |publisher = U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, National Institutes of Health (NIH) |pmc = 4223117|last1 = Krokowicz|first1 = L.|last2 = MacKiewicz|first2 = J.|last3 = Wejman-Matela|first3 = A.|last4 = Krokowicz|first4 = P.|last5 = Drews|first5 = M.|last6 = Banasiewicz|first6 = T.|pmid = 25396003|doi = 10.5114/pg.2014.46164}}</ref> as a vehicle for the administration of food, water or medicine, as a stimulant to the general system, as a local application and, more rarely, as a means of reducing body temperature,<ref name=Cullingworth_introduction /> as treatment for [[encopresis]], and as a form of [[Management of dehydration|rehydration therapy]] (proctoclysis) in patients for whom [[intravenous therapy]] is not applicable.<ref>{{cite journal |doi = 10.1016/S0885-3924(97)00367-9 |last1 = Bruera |first1 = E |last2 = Pruvost |first2 = M |last3 = Schoeller |first3 = T |last4 = Montegjo |first4 = G |last5 = Watanabe |first5 = S |date = April 1998 |title = Proctoclysis for Hydration of Terminally Ill Cancer Patients |journal = Journal of Pain and Symptom Management |volume = 15 |issue = 4 |pages = 216–9 |pmid=9601155|doi-access = free }}</ref>