Upper GI and small bowel series

How the Test is Performed:
This test may be done in an office or a hospital radiology department. You will be sitting up while your heart, lungs, and abdomen are examined with a fluoroscope (a special X-ray that projects images onto a TV screen-like monitor). You will then be given a milk shake drink that has a barium mixture in it. You must drink 16 to 20 oz. for the examination. The passage of the barium through the esophagus, stomach, and small intestine is monitored on the fluoroscope. Pictures are taken with you in a variety of positions. The test takes 30 minutes to 1 hour to complete.

A "GI series" may include an upper gastrointestinal (GI) and small bowel series, and/or a barium enema .

How to Prepare:
You may be given a restricted diet for 2 or 3 days before the test. The night before the test and the day of the test, you cannot smoke or eat. Stop taking oral medications, anticholinergics, and narcotics 24-hours before the test. Remove all jewelry.

Infants and children:
The physical and psychological preparation you can provide for this or any test or procedure depends on your child's age, interests, previous experience, and level of trust. For specific information regarding how you can prepare your child, see the following topics as they correspond to your child's age:



How it Feels:
The X-ray causes no discomfort. The barium milk shake has a chalky and unpleasant taste.

Risks:
There is low radiation exposure. X-rays are monitored and regulated to provide the minimum amount of radiation exposure needed to produce the image. Most experts feel that the risk is low compared with the benefits. Pregnant women and children are more sensitive to the risks of the X-ray .

If the barium is not passed through the system in 2 or 3 days, notify the health care provider because it can cause a bowel obstruction .

Why this Test is Performed:
The purpose of the test is to detect abnormalities of the esophagus, stomach, and small intestines.

Normal Values:
The esophagus, stomach and small intestine are normal in size and contour.

Abnormal Results:

Additional conditions under which the test may be performed:



Cost:
The estimated cost is $180 to $200.

Special Considerations:
This X-ray should be performed after other X-ray procedures are finished, because the barium that is retained will cloud the details on other films .


An upper GI series in a patient with cancer of the stomach (gastric carcinoma).



This is an example of a procedure called an upper GI series. The person swallows a substance called barium which allows for illumination of the organs in question. In this case, an ulceration is present in the stomach, seen on the right of the screen. This method is a means of diagnosing stomach ulcers as well as other anomalies along the upper gastrointestinal tract.



A GI series in a patient with a twisted bowel (volvulus).

arium enema .

X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation (like light); they are of higher energy, however, and can penetrate the body to form an image on film. Structures that are dense (such as bone) will appear white, air will be black, and other structures will be shades of gray. Learn to make informed health care decisions with the Medical Encyclopedia at drkoop.com.">