How does a barium x-ray test work can you explain the process? Is it painful? Can the elderly do it?

The barium X-ray examination of the digestive tract is one of the main methods of detecting lesions in the digestive tract. Before the X-ray examination, the patient is given an appropriate amount of X-ray impermeable barium sulfate suspension by mouth, so that the barium coats the walls of the digestive tract to facilitate the observation of gastric wall lesions. Sometimes, the patient will also take a gassing powder, which produces gas in the stomach, and then performs double contrast imaging with gas and barium, which is helpful for showing the structure of the stomach wall and detecting early gastric cancer.

Usually, 5 to 6 films are taken to show the anterior and posterior walls of each part of the stomach, the large and small curves, and the corners of the stomach. Additional photographs should be taken if there are ambiguities or suspected lesions.

The focus of barium meal X-ray examination of digestive tract is to find abnormalities and confirm lesions. The X-ray diagnosis of gastric cancer must be based on the X-ray manifestation of the tumor itself and its surrounding changes, synthesize all the X-ray signs, and combine with clinical data and other examinations to reach a correct conclusion.

Barium meal is preferred for digestive tract diseases, as the examination of the whole digestive tract is more only barium meal can do, gastroscopy can only reach the duodenum, enteroscopy can only reach the ileum.

The examination process: fasting a meal before the examination. Before the examination, the doctor will ask to take the gas-producing powder (powder, can be taken with a small amount of water). During the examination, the patient stands on the X-ray gastrointestinal machine, takes barium sulfate suspension according to the doctor's request (with sweetener, taste okay), and rotates different positions on the gastrointestinal machine to facilitate the doctor's selection of the angle of filming. The whole process is painless, and occasionally people may be slightly nauseous because they are not used to the mouth position of the barium sulfate.

A barium X-ray is an imaging test that shows morphological changes in the lesion. However, gastroscopy can visualize the changes in the lumen and can also biopsy a small amount of tissue for pathologic diagnosis, and current painless gastroscopy is relatively painless.

The choice of examination method: X-ray is preferred and can be used as a screening test. Gastroscopy is routinely done as a supplement to X-ray, X-ray found problems, gastroscopy to take pathology to confirm. In turn, gastroscopy can also be, gastroscopy to take out the pathology, X-ray to determine the scope of the lesion, for the surgeon to clarify whether the operation.