Barium Meal

A Barium Meal is one of the upper GI contrast studies, which include barium meal, barium swallow or barium follow through studies. For children older than 6 years these can be performed at the Grosvenor Hospital Chester. For infants, toddlers, and children under 6 years we will make arrangements for these tests to be performed in Liverpool (Alder Hey Children’s Hospital) or in Chester (Countess Hospital).

Upper GI Contrast studies

The ‘Contrast’ is a substance that is swallowed, which shows up clearly on imaging. By looking at the contrast material, doctors can get a clearer picture of your child’s gastrointestinal tract. This type of imaging can be used to diagnose a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders.

The contract material used is usually Barium; a thick white liquid, but alternatives can also be used in certain cases.

1)Follow through studies are used to see mainly the small bowel (small intestine) but also the oesophagus (food pipe) and stomach.

 2) Contrast meal scans and contrast swallow scans are used to study the oesophagus (food pipe) and stomach in detail.

Performing the scan

Your child will be given the Barium in the form of a flavoured solution, to make it taste nicer. Your child will lie down and drink the solution, and then a radiologist (A doctor who specialises in imaging) will take X-ray pictures of your child, which will show the barium moving through your child’s digestive tract. You and your child can see these pictures live on a screen.

Preparation

What your child can and can’t eat on the day of the scan will be explained to you at a later stage in more detail, and depends on your child’s age, but it will involve your child not eating for a couple of hours before the scan, to ensure that we can get the clearest picture possible.

What are the risks?

There are no serious risks to upper GI contrast studies, and the Barium is not contra-indicated with any medicines your child may be taking. However, your child may experience some constipation in the days that follow the scan. To avoid this, you should encourage your child to drink plenty of fluids in the days following the scan, to flush out all of the Barium.

X-rays do use radiation, but the levels used in upper GI contrast studies are very low. Each X-ray is calculated so that the best picture can be taken using the minimum amount of radiation.