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Health Topics Category Index Health Topics for Medical Departments Department of Radiology
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Upper GI or Barium Swallow
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University of Iowa Department of Radiology, Section of Pediatric Radiology
Peer Review Status: Internally Peer Reviewed
Creation Date: Unknown
Last Revision Date: Unknown
An upper GI or barium swallow are X-ray examinations of the esophagus and stomach with barium. The radiologist, assisted by the technologist, studies the function of the GI tract under fluoroscopy by watching how the child swallows and how the stomach fills and empties. Radiographs are obtained throughout the procedure and usually one or two radiographs are taken at the end of the fluoroscopic part of the examination. Infants are given the barium through a baby bottle or, in some cases, a small nasogastric tube is inserted into the stomach for better control of the barium flow. This does not hurt the infant since he or she has not totally developed the gag reflex that is present in older patients. Older children drink the barium from a glass or cup.
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