What can a barium meal test reveal?

Barium meal is mainly used in barium meal radiography to examine some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. It is actually very accurate in screening diseases, so it is still widely used in medical examinations. You need to be on an empty stomach when taking a barium meal, which can make the test results more accurate. After the test, you can drink plenty of water to excrete the barium meal.

What is a barium meal?

The full name of barium meal is barium meal contrast, which is gastrointestinal barium contrast. It refers to an examination method that uses barium sulfate as a contrast agent to show whether there are any lesions in the digestive tract under X-ray irradiation. Unlike barium enema, barium meal radiography involves the oral administration of contrast agents, which allows for clearer radiological examinations of the entire digestive tract, especially the upper digestive tract. The barium meal used for gastrointestinal examination is medicinal barium sulfate (i.e. a suspension of barium sulfate). Therefore, it is insoluble in water and lipids, and will not be absorbed by the gastrointestinal mucosa, so it is basically non-toxic to humans.

How to do a barium meal

Barium meal radiography is divided into esophageal radiography, upper gastrointestinal tract radiography and whole gastrointestinal tract radiography. Do not eat or drink water on an empty stomach on the day before the examination.

1. Take a pack of gas-generating agent first. It is in granular form and can produce a large amount of gas when in contact with water. It is used to expand the stomach (not required for esophageal radiography).

2. Drink 100-200 ml of barium sulfate, which is very concentrated, somewhat viscous, white and odorless. Drink it sip by sip.

3. Stand on the fluoroscopy machine for observation, and then be asked to turn over on the bed (not required for esophageal radiography). It will be very hard for the elderly. The inspection is completed after taking a few photos.

4. If the whole gastrointestinal tract radiography needs to observe the ileocecal part, the patient can go out first after examining the stomach, and can eat and drink water first, and then come back after half an hour to an hour to observe whether the cecum has been reached. If it has not reached there, continue observing until the ileocecal part is seen. The minimum time is less than half an hour, and the maximum time is 2-3 hours.

What can a barium meal test reveal?

X-ray barium meal examination is usually performed on three sections: esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. Through examination, their shape, size, position, elasticity, mucosal folds, mobility, etc. can be observed. The following lesions can be observed:

1. Esophageal: esophageal cancer, polyps, leiomyoma, esophageal varices or stenosis, achalasia, esophageal ulcer, diverticulum, hiatal hernia, esophageal mediastinal fistula.

2. Stomach: gastric cancer, polyps, external pressure changes, gastric stones, gastric ulcers, gastric torsion, gastric mucosal prolapse, pyloric obstruction, etc.

3. Duodenum; duodenal bulb ulcer, deformation, diverticulum, duodenal tumor, stenosis, superior mesenteric artery compression syndrome, pancreatic head cancer, ampullary cancer, etc.

Is the barium meal test uncomfortable?

The barium meal examination is a non-invasive and painless examination. The examination method is:

1. You need to make an appointment in advance before the examination;

2. You need to fast on the day of the angiography and avoid eating anything in the morning, including drinking water and taking medicine;

3. During the examination, you need to take barium first. Barium has no other peculiar smell and is slightly sweet, so no sugar needs to be added.

Things to note when undergoing barium meal radiography

1. Patients should not take medicines containing metal ions (such as calcium tablets, etc.) from the day before the examination. Taking these things will affect the results and must be prohibited.

2. The second point to note: It is best to wear underwear without buttons during the examination, as this will block some important parts, making the imaging incomplete. The effect is not good either.

3. The third thing to note: General examinations take several hours, so patients should wait patiently and not eat anything or leave without the doctor's consent. A small number of patients need to be re-examined on the same day.