What is a barium swallow?

A barium swallow is a special type of X-ray test that helps your doctor take a close look at the back of your mouth and throat, known as the pharynx, and the tube that extends from the back of the tongue down to the stomach, known as the esophagus.

您的医生可能会要求您做钡吞咽，以帮助诊断任何使您难以吞咽的状况，或者如果他们怀疑您患有上胃肠道（GI）的疾病。您的上部胃肠道包括：

  • the esophagus
  • 胃
  • 小肠的第一部分，称为十二指肠

吞钡,你吞下白垩的白色substance known as barium. It’s often mixed with water to make a thick drink that looks like a milkshake. When it’s swallowed, this liquid coats the inside of your upper GI.

钡吸收X射线，并在X射线胶片上看起来为白色。这有助于在X射线图像上突出显示这些器官及其内部衬里和吞咽的运动。这些图像可以帮助您的医生诊断GI区的任何疾病。

您的医生可能会订购钡吞咽，以帮助诊断上胃肠道可能的结构或功能问题。钡吞咽可能有助于诊断的一些常见问题包括：

Sometimes a barium swallow is done as part of a series of X-rays that look at the whole upper GI tract. A continuous X-ray beam, called a fluoroscopy, is often used during a barium swallow to capture movement through your GI tract.

钡吞咽伴随的常见测试是上胃肠形内窥镜检查, also known as an esophagogastroduodenoscopy, or EGD. Barium swallows are also often done as part of anupper GI and small bowel seriesof tests.

遵循医生在手术前给您的饮食指南很重要。在手术之前，您不应该在六个小时内吃或喝任何东西。您可以在手术前两个小时之前服用一小口水。

If you are getting additional tests done or have any existing medical conditions, the directions your doctor gives you may be slightly different. You should notify your doctor before your procedure if you have or have had any of the following conditions:

  • an esophageal or bowel perforation
  • bowel obstruction
  • 吞咽困难
  • 严重的便秘

These conditions may disqualify you from doing a barium swallow, as they increase the risk of complications.

您的医生会将您引导到当地的放射学设施，以供钡吞咽。训练有素的放射学技术人员将执行该程序。从头到尾，钡燕子大约需要30分钟。您将在手术后的几天内获得结果。

Once you’re at the radiology facility, you will be asked to remove your clothing and jewelry and secure your belongings in a locker. You’ll change into a medical gown provided by your doctor.

Your technician will position you on an X-ray table. They may ask you to move your body position as they take standard X-rays of your heart, lungs, and abdomen.

Then, your technician will give you a barium drink to swallow. They will take single X-rays, a series of X-rays, or a fluoroscopy to watch how the barium moves through your pharynx. You might have to hold your breath at certain times to prevent any movement from disrupting the X-ray images.

接下来，技术人员将为您提供更薄的钡饮料吞咽。他们将再次采用X射线或荧光镜检查，以观察钡如何向下移动食道。

When all X-rays are complete, you can gather your things and leave. You can go back to your normal diet and daily activities after your barium swallow procedure unless your doctor advises otherwise.

您的医生的办公室将在几天之内与您联系，以解决您的测试结果，并安排可能需要的任何后续行动。

这是一个正常的钡燕子研究的例子，其中看到钡（深色液体）在食管下移动而没有任何泄漏或反流（反流）：

Photo: Anka Friedrich /commons.wikimedia.org

The barium you swallow is artificially flavored and sweetened. However, many people report that it tastes bitter or chalky.

如果您有健康保险，则可能会完全或部分覆盖钡剂。如果您没有保险，则该程序的费用可能在300至450美元之间。这涵盖了医生解释X射线的时间以及执行该程序的技术人员的成本。

If the barium is not completely expelled from your body after the procedure, it can sometimes cause constipation orfecal impaction。您应该喝很多液体并吃高纤维食物，以帮助将钡通过消化道和体内移出。如果那无济于事，您的医生可能会给您一个laxativeto help move it through.

手术后，您可能会注意到您的排便颜色更轻。发生这种情况是因为您的身体不会吸收钡。一旦所有钡被驱逐出去，您的凳子就会恢复其正常颜色。

请务必立即与您的医生联系：

  • 您没有排便或不能排便。
  • 您的腹部有疼痛或腹胀。
  • 您的凳子的直径比平常小。

同样，钡燕子涉及暴露于辐射，例如所有X射线程序。随着时间的推移，与辐射暴露有关的并发症的风险累积，与人一生中接受的X射线检查和治疗的数量有关。在钡剂吞咽之前，与您的医生分享过去的辐射程序的记录可能会很有帮助。

Exposure to radiation during pregnancy can cause birth defects in unborn fetuses. Because of this, pregnant women should not undergo barium swallow procedures.

The barium swallow is a less invasive way to look at the upper GI tract than anendoscopy。Barium swallows are a useful diagnostic tool for checking for upper GI tract disorders that can be easily diagnosed with X-ray alone. More complex disorders require endoscopy.

Here’s how to stay comfortable before, during, and after a barium swallow: