Upper GI
What is Upper Gastrointestinal (UGI) Tract Radiography?
Also called an
Upper Gastrointestinal (UGI)
Series or simply an
Upper GI,
upper
gastrointestinal tract
radiography is an
x-ray
examination of the esophagus, stomach and the small in
testine.
In order for the anatomy to show up on radiographic images, the upper
gastrointestinal tract must be coated or filled with a
contrast material
called
barium,
an element that appears bright white on
radiographs. The barium is given to the patient to drink. When the
esophagus, stomach, and duodenum are evaluated, this procedure is called
Upper
GI. When
only the pharynx and esophagus are evaluated, it is called a
Barium Swallow.
Additionally, some patients may be asked to swallow baking-soda crystals
to further improve the images.
Lower GI
What is Lower Gastrointestinal (GI) Tract Radiography?
Radiological images are created by passing small, highly controlled amounts of radiation through the body and capturing the resulting shadows and reflections on film. Most people are familiar with x-ray images, which produce a still picture of the body's internal organs. A Lower GI, often called a Barium Enema Study, is used to evaluate the lower intestines or colon. A Lower GI uses a special form of x-ray designed to show real-time motion called Fluoroscopy, along with barium that is used to fill the colon. A lower GI is very useful in determining if a colon is blocked or if there are other abnormalities of the large bowel or colon.