Seven patients with proved small-bowel infarction were studied to determine whether the radiographic appearance of an ischemic segment is helpful in predicting the severity of the process, in particular the potential viability or nonviability of the affected bowel. It was found that the barium examination is useful in detecting small-bowel infarction in clinically obscure cases but is unreliable in predicting the depth of necrosis or potential viability of an ischemic segment. In addition, the longitudinal extent of ischemic damage was underestimated using the radiographic findings and there was poor correlation between the transit time of barium and the severity of bowel-wall damage.