Fluoroscopy
Fluoroscopy
uses x-rays with the aid of a contrast agent to capture a moving image of certain
organs while they are functioning. The images are viewed in real time on a camera
monitor which can take still shots or continuous video pictures of the area under
study. Contrast agents may be introduced into the body through injection, swallowing
or an enema.
Preparation for your fluoroscopy procedure will depend on the type
of exam ordered by your physician. Follow the links below for specific information
on your exam.
Barium Enema (Lower Gastrointestinal Series or Lower GI)
Esophagram and Upper
Gastrointestinal Series (UGI)
Fertility (Hysterosalpingography or
HSG)
Small Intestines (Small Bowel Series)
Barium Enema (Lower Gastrointestinal Series or Lower
GI) Exam Guidelines
A barium enema is an x-ray exam that allows a physician to see the movement of
the colon and large intestines. This exam requires a 24-hour preparation time
to cleanse the colon of stool. During the exam, a tube with a small balloon at
its tip will be placed in your rectum. The colon is then filled with barium and
sometimes air. The radiologist will place you in various positions while taking
a series of x-rays.
Preparation
- Prior to your scheduled appointment, WIS will call you to discuss specific
instructions, review your health and insurance information and answer any
questions.
- For your convenience, print out and complete the appropriate Patient
Forms, including Patient Registration and Patient History.
Bring them with you to your appointment.
- If you’ve had an allergic reaction to a contrast agent
in any prior imaging exam, please notify our staff before your
appointment.
- A few days before your exam, stop by our office in Suite
260 of the Overlake Medical Tower and pick up a free LoSo Prep
Kit. Follow the instructions on the box.
- Pay close attention
to any dietary restrictions prescribed by your physician.
- Leave
your valuables at home. All jewelry and any metal objects must
be removed prior to the exam.
- Please notify the technologist
if you are pregnant or could be pregnant.
- Please arrive 15
minutes prior to your exam.
What to Expect During the Exam
- Allow 1 hour for your procedure.
- You will be
escorted to a changing room to put on an exam gown and then
taken to the x-ray room.
- Once the technologist has positioned
you on the examination table, a lubricated enema tip is inserted
in the rectum and barium, a contrast agent, is introduced into
the bowel.
- You will be asked to lie in several different positions
on the table while the barium coats and fills the colon.
- Several
x-rays will be taken throughout the process.
- If your physician
or radiologist feels an air contrast study is necessary, air
will be administered with the barium via the enema tube. Additional
x-rays will be taken. Before the final x-ray, you will be
helped to a bathroom so that you can expel as much barium as
possible.
What to Expect After the Exam
- You may leave as soon as the exam is completed and resume normal activities.
- Your normal diet may be resumed, unless otherwise instructed
by your physician.
- Drinking plenty of water and other fluids
after the exam will help rehydrate the body and clear out any
remaining barium. (After the exam, any barium remaining in
your system may cause constipation. You may want to have your
physician recommend a laxative, if needed.)
- Your imaging study
will be interpreted by a WIS board certified radiologist with
specialized gastrointestinal training.
- Your referring physician
will receive a report detailing the findings of
your exam within 24 hours. You should contact your doctor to
discuss the results.
Esophagram and Upper Gastrointestinal Series (UGI) Exam Guidelines
Esophagram (barium swallow)
and upper GI exams are used to view conditions involving the esophagus, stomach
and first portion of the small bowel. These two exams may be done separately
or together as a combined study. During the exam, you will swallow liquid barium
while the radiologist takes a series of x-rays.
Preparation
- Prior to your scheduled appointment, WIS will call you to discuss specific
instructions, review your health and insurance information and answer any
questions.
- For your convenience, print out and complete the appropriate Patient
Forms, including Patient Registration and Patient History.
Bring them with you to your appointment.
- If you’ve had an allergic reaction to a contrast agent
in any prior imaging exam, please notify our staff before your
appointment.
- For an esophagram conducted independently, no food or liquids
4 hours prior to the exam.
- For an UGI conducted independently
or in combination with an esophagram, no food or liquids 8
hours prior to testing.
- Leave your valuables at home. All
jewelry and any metal objects must be removed prior to the
exam.
- Please notify the technologist if you are pregnant or
could be pregnant.
- Please arrive 15
minutes prior to your exam.
What to Expect During the Exam
- Allow approximately 30 to 45 minutes for your procedure.
- You will be escorted
to a changing room to put on an exam gown and then taken to
the x-ray room.
- Carbonating tablets followed by barium, a
contrast agent, will be given by mouth. The tablets create
gas in the stomach and esophagus which opens up the natural
folds of these body parts for better visualization. The barium
coats the walls of the organs and fills the stomach, allowing
the radiologist to film the study.
- The technologist will help
you lie or sit in different positions on the table as the necessary
films are obtained.
What to Expect After the Exam
- You may leave as soon as the exam is completed and resume normal activities.
- Your normal diet may be resumed, unless otherwise instructed
by your physician.
- Drinking plenty of water and other fluids
after the exam will help rehydrate the body and clear out any
remaining barium.
- Your imaging study will be interpreted by
a WIS board certified radiologist with specialized gastrointestinal
training.
- Your referring physician
will receive a report detailing the findings of
your exam within 24 hours. You should contact your doctor to
discuss the results.
Fertility (Hysterosalpingography or HSG) Exam Guidelines
This exam is used to visualize and evaluate
the uterus and fallopian tubes as part of an infertility workup. The exam should
be scheduled to occur 7-10 days after the first day of a normal menstrual period.
Preparation
- Prior to your scheduled appointment, WIS will call you to discuss specific
instructions, review your health and insurance information and answer any
questions.
- For your convenience, print out and complete the appropriate Patient
Forms, including Patient Registration and Patient History.
Bring them with you to your appointment.
- If you’ve had an allergic reaction to a contrast agent
in any prior imaging exam, please notify our staff before your
appointment.
- Leave your valuables at home. All jewelry and any metal objects
must be removed prior to the exam.
- Testing should be scheduled
between day 7 and day 10 from the start of your menstrual period.
- Please notify the technologist if you are pregnant or could
be pregnant.
- Please arrive 15
minutes prior to your exam.
What to Expect During the Exam
- Allow approximately 20 to 30 minutes for the procedure.
- A female technologist
will work with the radiologist to perform this exam which is
similar to an annual pelvic exam.
- You will be escorted to
a changing room to put on an exam gown and then taken to the
x-ray room.
- While you are on the examination table, the radiologist
places a speculum into the vaginal cavity to visualize the
cervix. The cervix is swabbed with a Betadine preparation and
a thin catheter is inserted through the cervical canal into
the endometrial cavity.
- A small balloon on the catheter will
be inflated to form a seal. The radiologist will watch under
fluoroscopy while contrast, a clear water-soluble dye, is injected
into the uterus to visualize the uterine cavity and fill the
fallopian tubes.
- Discomfort is usually mild, similar to menstrual
cramping, but may be more severe if there is a blockage of
the tubes.
What to Expect After the Exam
- You may leave as soon as the exam is completed and resume normal activities.
- Mild cramping and light spotting may occur for a day or two.
- Your imaging study will be interpreted by a WIS board certified
radiologist.
- Your referring physician
will receive a report detailing the findings of
your exam within 24 hours. You should contact your doctor to
discuss the results.
Small Intestines (Small Bowel Series) Exam Guidelines
The small bowel series examination can
be done in combination with the UGI (upper GI) or as an independent study of
the small intestine. During the exam, liquid barium is taken orally and a series
of x-rays are taken at specific time intervals to show the barium as it progresses
from the stomach though the small intestine to the colon.
Preparation
- Prior to your scheduled appointment, WIS will call you to discuss specific
instructions, review your health and insurance information and answer any
questions.
- For your convenience, print out and complete the appropriate Patient
Forms, including Patient Registration and Patient History.
Bring them with you to your appointment.
- If you’ve had an allergic reaction to a contrast agent
in any prior imaging exam, please notify our staff before your
appointment.
- For a small bowel series conducted independently or in combination
with an upper GI, no food or liquids 8 hours prior to testing.
- Leave your valuables at home. All jewelry and any metal objects
must be removed prior to the exam.
- Please notify the technologist
if you are pregnant or could be pregnant.
- Please arrive 15
minutes prior to your exam.
What to Expect During the Exam
- Allow at least 2 hours for your procedure. Depending on your anatomy and
metabolism, the exam may take up to 4 hours.
- You will be escorted to a changing
room to put on an exam gown and then taken to the x-ray room.
- For a small bowel series conducted independently, a preliminary
film of the abdomen is obtained prior to drinking 2 cups of
barium. Once the barium is ingested, a zero minute film is
taken followed by additional films every 15 to 20 minutes,
or as requested by the radiologist. Digital acquisition continues
until the barium reaches the junction of the small and large
intestines.
- When combined with the UGI, an additional cup of barium is
ingested following initial image acquisition. After a 15 to
20 minute delay, the small bowel series images are obtained.
Imaging data is obtained every 15 to 20 minutes, or as requested
by the radiologist, until the barium reaches the junction of
the small and large intestines.
What to Expect After the Exam
- You may leave as soon as the exam is completed and resume normal activities.
- Your normal diet may be resumed, unless otherwise instructed
by your physician.
- Drinking plenty of water and other fluids
after the exam will help rehydrate the body and clear out any
remaining barium.
- Your imaging study will be interpreted by
a WIS board certified radiologist with specialized gastrointestinal
training.
- Your referring physician
will receive a report detailing the findings of
your exam within 24 hours. You should contact your doctor to
discuss the results.
For more information on fluoroscopy exams, check out the
Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQs) page on this modality.
