The process of X-ray barium meal examination for esophageal cancer

X-ray barium meal examination for esophageal cancer is very common. The specific process is as follows:

Preparation before the test

Fast for 4 hours before the examination. Esophageal barium meal examination should be performed on an empty stomach. Generally, all food is prohibited 4 hours before the angiography. Before swallowing the barium, the patient should be asked whether it is difficult to eat. If the patient has obvious difficulty in swallowing, dilute barium slurry should be given to avoid obstruction and affect the diagnosis. When esophageal tracheal fistula is suspected, iodized oil or a small amount of dilute barium should be used for examination. Before taking the barium meal, a routine fluoroscopic examination of the chest and upper abdomen should be performed to understand the condition of the heart and lungs, and carefully observe the organs around the esophageal passage, such as the mediastinum, hilum of the lungs, and fundus of the stomach, to see if there are soft tissue mass shadows, so as to distinguish whether the lesion is an internal or external disease of the esophagus.

Precautions during esophagectomy

During esophageal radiography, a standing position and left and right oblique multi-axis fluoroscopic observation is generally used, from the beginning of the esophagus to the bottom of the stomach. During fluoroscopy, attention should be paid to changes in the position, shape, mucosa and function of the esophagus. Esophageal mucosal radiography and esophageal filling images are routinely performed. Patients who have no obvious dysphagia but feel that they have symptoms of early esophageal cancer, or who are clinically suspected of early esophageal cancer, must undergo esophageal mucosal radiography or double contrast. For examination of cervical esophageal cancer, it is best to adopt a head-down-feet-high position, which can reduce the flow rate of esophageal barium meals and make the esophageal filling more satisfactory, which is conducive to improving the diagnosis rate.