Upper GI and Barium Enemas at Guthrie
Occasionally, difficulty swallowing, heartburn, reflux or coughing or vomiting blood can be symptoms of more serious disease so your health care provider may order a swallowing study. We perform a variety of swallowing studies at Guthrie, giving you barium or other liquids to drink while we take X-ray pictures of your body. The barium allows us to see the inside of your esophagus, stomach and intestine on the X-ray pictures. These pictures can help determine the cause of your symptoms.
Similarly, bleeding or other discomfort or disorders related to the rectum and anus need to be studied with a barium enema. If you have a ccolonoscopy and your gastroenterologist cannot see the colon completely, they will sometimes order a barium enema, too. For a barium enema, we insert a small enema catheter into the rectum and slowly fill the colon with barium. We then take the barium out and pump up the colon with air. This allows the coated colon to show up on the X-ray pictures. It is important that the colon be clean for this procedure, so you do have to prepare the colon in a similar way as for a colonoscopy.
Swallowing Studies and Enemas Information
Call 866-GUTHRIE (866-488-4743) today to make an appointment.