1 Chief, Professional Service, Headquarters, United States Army Hospital, Fort Ord, California 93941
The recent article1 by Doctors Gallo and Presman entitled, "Urinary Retention Due to Fecal Impaction in Children" in the February 1970 issue of Pediatrics certainly has an important lesson, for the urologist in particular. However, I disagree with his recommendation that any child with urinary retention and a fecal impaction requires a barium enema. I believe that on the basis of the clinical history and the fact that impacted stool is felt on the rectal examination, there is sufficient clinical evidence in the vast majority of cases to rule out neurogenic disease of the large bowel.