Description

Test Criteria

1. The patient will be asked to drink the barium liquid and to swallow baking soda crystals. It is important not to belch, as the gas assists the radiologist in evaluation.
2. The patient will stand behind a machine called a fluoroscope (a device used for the immediate showing of an X-ray image).
3. The patient may be asked to move in different positions and to hold his or her breath while the X-rays are taken.
4. If the small intestine is to be examined, the patient may be asked to drink additional barium and a series of X-rays will be taken until the barium reaches the colon.