avb
Barium Meal - Stomach
The
outline of the stomach is obvious. Observe the air bubble in the fundus (F).
The
blue arrow shows the pylorus. This is an excellent illustration of the fact
that contrast media outline the cavity. The pyloric sphincter is a small mass
of muscle and therefore not visible, just a thin line of barium is seen in the
narrow channel in the sphincter (point of the arrowhead).
Note the
extensive spread in the intestines. This is all small intestine – in some
parts you can see the breaks in the continuity of barium due to the plicae
circulares.
To see
the details of the colonic wall, sometimes a barium enema is given. After it
is evacuated, air is introduced in the colon. The dark air contrasts with a
thin layer of barium sticking to the wall of the colon. This is called double
contrast.
F
Key Points :
Understand how anatomical features
correlate with appearances
on images.
Make
sure you see in the lab other images of all organs, especially double contrast images of the colon.