Small Bowel Follow Through

Why do I need this?
The small bowel follow through studies how your body processes food from the stomach to the small intestine. Patients are scheduled for a small bowel follow through for diagnoses such as gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), abdominal pain, nausea, or a change in bowel habits.

What is it like for the patient?
For patients having a small bowel follow through, you will be asked not to eat or drink after midnight (NPO) the night before your exam. When you arrive for your test you will be asked to drink 16 ounces of barium, which is about the consistency of a melted milkshake. After you swallow the barium, the radiologist will watch it travel from your stomach and through your small intestine. The small bowel follow through can take from 30 minutes to three hours, depending on how long it takes your body to processes the barium. There is no discomfort or after affects for patients having this procedure.