Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types
Barium Swallow
Prep/Procedure
Cautions/Side Effects
Alternatives
Barium X-rays are diagnostic X-rays in which barium is used to diagnose abnormalities of the digestive tract.
Types of Barium X-Rays
If your healthcare provider has ordered a barium study, it’s important to know that there are different procedures that are considered barium X-rays. These include:
What Is a Barium Enema?
A barium swallow (also referred to as a barium esophagogram) or upper GI series may be ordered to examine the back of your throat, your esophagus, and stomach. With a barium swallow, you will be asked to drink a chalky colored liquid that contains barium. Some people have described this as drinking a flavorless strawberry shake.
Symptoms which may prompt your healthcare provider to order a barium swallow include:
Barium studies may also be used to look further down into the digestive tract. In a barium small bowel follow through you are observed as the barium you drink passes beyond your stomach into yoursmall intestine, and eventually makes its way to your colon. In the procedure, you will often be turned side to side to best visualize the small bowel or small intestine.
A barium small bowel follow-through may be done to help diagnose tumors of the small bowel, a small bowel obstruction, or inflammatory diseases of the small intestine such asCrohn’s disease.
Preparation and Procedure
If your healthcare provider has ordered a barium swallow or small bowel follow through, you may be wondering what to expect. Both of these tests are usually ordered as an outpatient procedure in the hospital radiology department. Below is a general timeline of how things will go:
Cautions and Possible Side Effects
There are generally few side effects related to barium studies, with the exception of constipation. Some people are unable to tolerate the barium and vomit, but this is uncommon. Aspiration of the barium solution into the lungs is uncommon as well.
Barium studies should not be done for pregnant women, in those who may have a perforation in their digestive tract, in people who have a severe bowel obstruction, and in those who have severe swallowing difficulty (as this could increase the risk of aspiration.)
Some people may worry about radiation exposure. However, the amount of radiation you’re exposed to during a barium swallow test is small and poses very little cancer risk.
Barium studies are most often done in combination with other digestive tract tests. These may include anupper endoscopy, pH examination, and monitoring, manometry, or other imaging studies.
1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bonilha HS, Huda W, Wilmskoetter J, Martin-Harris B, Tipnis SV.Radiation risks to adult patients undergoing modified barium swallow studies.Dysphagia. 2019;34(6):922-929. doi:10.1007/s00455-019-09993-wAdditional ReadingKasper, Dennis L.., Anthony S. Fauci, and Stephen L.. Hauser. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. New York: Mc Graw Hill education, 2015. Print.Kilcoyne, A., Kaplan, J., and M. Gee.Inflammatory Bowel Disease Imaging: Current Practice and Future Directions.World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2016. 22(3):917-32.Levine, M., and S. Rubesin.History and Evolution of the Barium Swallow for Evaluation of the Pharynx and Esophagus.Dyphagia. 2017. 32(1):55-72.
1 Source
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Bonilha HS, Huda W, Wilmskoetter J, Martin-Harris B, Tipnis SV.Radiation risks to adult patients undergoing modified barium swallow studies.Dysphagia. 2019;34(6):922-929. doi:10.1007/s00455-019-09993-wAdditional ReadingKasper, Dennis L.., Anthony S. Fauci, and Stephen L.. Hauser. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. New York: Mc Graw Hill education, 2015. Print.Kilcoyne, A., Kaplan, J., and M. Gee.Inflammatory Bowel Disease Imaging: Current Practice and Future Directions.World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2016. 22(3):917-32.Levine, M., and S. Rubesin.History and Evolution of the Barium Swallow for Evaluation of the Pharynx and Esophagus.Dyphagia. 2017. 32(1):55-72.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Bonilha HS, Huda W, Wilmskoetter J, Martin-Harris B, Tipnis SV.Radiation risks to adult patients undergoing modified barium swallow studies.Dysphagia. 2019;34(6):922-929. doi:10.1007/s00455-019-09993-w
Kasper, Dennis L.., Anthony S. Fauci, and Stephen L.. Hauser. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. New York: Mc Graw Hill education, 2015. Print.Kilcoyne, A., Kaplan, J., and M. Gee.Inflammatory Bowel Disease Imaging: Current Practice and Future Directions.World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2016. 22(3):917-32.Levine, M., and S. Rubesin.History and Evolution of the Barium Swallow for Evaluation of the Pharynx and Esophagus.Dyphagia. 2017. 32(1):55-72.
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