Taking care of ones health in today’s world is becoming an increasingly lower priority up until the point that an individual falls sick and realizes that maybe he or she should have taken better care of themselves. With the advancement of science through the ages, treatment for a number of different conditions have become easier to handle and more accurate. An esophagram is a medical imaging test that helps doctors and medical experts analyze the workings of the esophagus in order to help diagnose as well as treat conditions that maybe affecting this organ. Some of the instances during which a doctor will call for an esophagram include in the evaluation of a patients ability to swallow, analyze the possible causes of bleeding in the esophagus as well as check for any of the other gastrointestinal health issues.
Esophagram is a procedure that requires the concerned patient to swallow a mixture of barium sulfate. Because of the fact that the mixture is not very palatable, it may be flavored to a slight extent. The barium sulphate will work as a contrast material as it works its way down your body and the doctor will start to capture images of the esophagus and upper GI tract. The barium sulphate may be administered to the patient during an esophagram with a tablet, pill or drug. Whether the procedure falls into the category of an esophagram with tablet, esophagram with pill or esophagram with drug does not really matter. Once the x-rays have been developed, they are analyzed by the medical staff in order to establish the root cause of the problem facing the patient. One of the most common alternatives to performing an esophagram is to perform an endoscopy, which is performed by inserting a small camera into the esophagus to allow the doctor to move the camera around and study the structure as well as condition of the organ on a screen to which the pictures are projected. Although not a necessity, some patients are administered some kind of sedation to make the experience a little more comfortable for them.
X-Ray exposure during the endoscopy procedure with tablet, drug or pill is relatively low and considered to be a calculated risk. However, if the patient is pregnant, then it is highly advised that you do not perform the procedure and consult your doctor about other alternatives.