For patient safety, patients exceeding the weight limit of 325 lbs. will not be done at London X-Ray Associates.
- Overview
The small bowel follow-through is an x-ray examination of the small bowel. This long looping part of the gut (intestine) is between the stomach and the large bowel.
Passing small, highly controlled amounts of radiation through the body and capturing the resulting shadows on film creates x-ray images. Most people are familiar with plain x-rays which produce a still picture of the body. A similar imaging method, fluoroscopy, uses x-rays to capture a moving image of an organ. Both still x-ray images and fluoroscopy are usually used during a small bowel follow-through. The patient drinks large quantities of barium, a liquid which blocks x-rays. The shadows cast by this liquid allow us to produce detailed pictures of the small bowel. This procedure can take between one and five hours. The average time is approximately two hours.
- Common Reasons for a Small Bowel Follow-Through
Some of the more common reasons why your doctor would order a small bowel follow-through include:
- Abdominal pain/cramps
- Diarrhea
- Anemia (low blood)
- Weight loss
- Who should not have a Small Bowel Follow-Through?
The small bowel follow-through, and indeed all x-ray examinations, should not be performed on pregnant women except when the information provided by the test is vital to treatment of the patient and there are no suitable alternatives. The small bowel follow-through should not be done if there has been surgery on the stomach or bowel within the last two weeks. The small bowel follow-through is usually not indicated for a sudden attack of bleeding or abdominal pain.
- How do I prepare for the test?
Citro Mag (300 ml) OR Roy Vac (296 ml)
Day Before the Examination:
- Eat a normal breakfast and lunch.
- Clear fluids for the rest of the day (no solid food or milk products).
- ½ hour after lunch, drink entire contents of bowel preparation (oral solution) over ice. A strong cleansing action should be expected in 3-6 hours after drinking the preparation.
- Drink one glass of fluid (225 ml) hourly until you go to bed to prevent dehydration (water preferred).
- Liquid dinner of clear fluids (clear fluids can be consomme, Jello, Popsicles, pop, plain coffee/tea).
- Nothing to drink after midnight.
- Do not have anything to eat or drink until the test is finished.
- Who performs the examination?
The examination is performed by an x-ray technologist and a radiologist (a doctor who specializes in performing x-ray procedures and reading x-rays and other imaging studies).
- What happens during the examination?
After registering with the receptionist, you will be asked to change into a gown. You will have to remove all of your clothing except your underwear, shoes and socks. You will be asked to drink several glasses of a white, chalky liquid - barium. Over the course of one to five hours (depending upon how long it takes the barium to make its way through your small bowel), several pictures will be taken in an x-ray room. For these pictures you will either be lying on your stomach or your back. You will have to hold your breath during these pictures. Near the end of the test you will be taken to an x-ray room where a radiologist will use fluoroscopy to produce moving pictures of the small bowel. The radiologist will usually press upon your abdomen with a paddle-like device in an effort to view all of the loops of small bowel.
- What can I expect after the examination?
The barium will not irritate your stomach or bowels but you may have a heavy sensation. The barium can produce constipation. You can avoid this by drinking extra fluids after the procedure. Otherwise you may resume a normal diet and normal activity. Your stools may contain white areas when the barium is passed.
- What are the risks of the procedure?
All x-rays involve receiving a controlled amount of radiation. The risk associated with the radiation received during a single x-ray examination is very small. While the exact likelihood is controversial, there is a very small chance of the radiation contributing to the development of a malignancy many years in the future. The risks involved in everyday activities such as driving a car are far higher. Generally, the risk of not doing the x-ray far outweighs the risk of the small amount of radiation involved.
There is a very small risk of aspirating the barium (having it go down the wrong way). Occasionally residual barium may harden in the colon (large bowel) after the procedure, producing constipation. As mentioned above, this can be avoided by drinking extra fluids after the procedure.
- Who interprets the results and how do I get them?
The results are interpreted by one of our radiologists and the results are sent to the doctor who ordered the small bowel follow-through by courier or fax.
Arrangements to discuss the results of the small bowel follow-through can be made with the doctor who ordered it.
