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X-rays are used to:
- help your healthcare provider decide if your child has IBD
- find where the disease is in your child’s digestive tract
- discover parts of the intestine that are swollen or narrow
- look for fistulas
The most common x-rays are:
- Upper GI series with small bowel follow-through
This procedure gives doctors information about your child’s esophagus, stomach and small intestine. For this test, your child will drink barium, a thick chalky liquid that is used to coat the lining of the small intestine, before X-rays are taken. The barium shows up white on x-ray film, marking areas of inflammation in the intestine. If these tests show Crohn’s disease, more x rays of both your child’s upper and lower digestive tract may be needed to see how much of the GI tract is affected by the disease. The procedure is not uncomfortable.
An upper GI series takes about 1 to 2 hours and can cause your child to be slightly constipated or have gray/white stools for a few days after the procedure.
Preparation for the test:
Your child’s stomach and small intestine must be empty for the X-rays to be clear, so the night before the test, he or she will not be able to eat or drink anything after midnight. Your doctor may give you other specific instructions.
This procedure gives doctors information about your child’s large intestine including the colon and the rectum. For this test, your child will have a barium enema where barium, a thick chalky liquid used to coat the lining of the large intestine which the pediatric radiologist will put into your child’s rectum.
Your child may be asked to change their position while the X-rays are being taken so that the radiologist can get different views of the colon.
Your child may be uncomfortable during the lower GI series because the barium can cause a feeling of fullness or the urge to go to the bathroom. Once the procedure is finished, your child will be able to go to the bathroom and the discomfort will be over.
Lower GI Series takes about 1-2 hours and may cause your child to be a little constipated or have gray/white stools for a few days after the procedure.
Preparation for this test:
Your child’s colon must be empty for the X-rays to be clear. To prepare for the procedure you may have to restrict your child’s diet for a few days before the test and
- allow them to drink liquids and eat non dairy foods for two days before
- allow only clear liquids the day before
- nothing after midnight the night before
A liquid diet means fat-free bouillon or broth, gelatin, strained fruit juice, water, plain coffee, plain tea, or diet soda. To make sure your child’s colon is empty, you may have to give your child a laxative or an enema before the procedure. Your doctor may give you other specific instructions.
- Abdominal CT scan is an X-ray that provides 3 dimensional pictures of the intestine and other abdominal organs.