X‐ray Fluoroscopy
September 2,2019 Update
X‐ray Fluoroscopy
There are things in the human body that are not visible and can be seen only through X-rays. With X-Ray fluoroscopy, a contrast agent is injected into the gastrointestinal tract or a vein, and the structures are inspected by X-ray fluoroscopy. This is called a contrast test.
The examination rooms are in Radio-Imaging Diagnostics 1 on the first floor and the examination is done in examination rooms X-8 - X-10.
Introduction to X‐ray fluoroscopy
Equipment and applications of each examination room
| Examination room | Equipment | Application |
|---|---|---|
| X-8 | Toshiba DREX-BX68X2 FLUOREX Winscope 6000 |
Upper gastrointestinal imaging lower limb venous angiography etc. |
| X-9 | Toshiba DREX-ZX80 ZEXIRA |
Obstetrics and gynecology urology orthopaedic surgery pediatrics etc. |
| X-10 | Toshiba DREX-BL38M2 FLUOREX Finescope 300 |
Lower gastrointestinal imaging fluoroscopy endoscopic examinations etc. |
| X-6 | SIEMENS Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy Lithoskop |
Urinary tract calculus/bilary stone curative fragmentation |
DREX-BX68X2 Winscope 6000
DREX-ZX80 ZEXIRA
DREX-BL38M2 Finescope 300
Lithoskop
Typical examination in an X-ray Fluoroscopy exam room
Upper gastrointestinal tract examination (esophagus/stomach)
This is an examination to observe the condition of the esophagus, the shape of the stomach, and mucous membranes that is conducted by drinking barium (contrast agent).
Target symptoms: Neck discomfort, heartburn, epigastric pain, stomach discomfort, nausea, vomiting, etc.
Target diseases: Esophageal cancer, reflux esophagitis, gastric cancer, gastric ulcers, etc.
[Time for the examination]
The examination time is about 20 minutes.
Lower gastrointestinal tract examination (colon)
This is an examination where they inject barium and air via the anus and observe the shape of the colon and the condition of the mucous membranes.
Target symptoms: Diarrhea, constipation, abdominal bloating, bloody bowel discharge, stool occult blood positive, etc.
Target diseases: Colon cancer, colon polyps, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, etc.
[Time for the examination]
The examination time is about 30 minutes.
Urological examination: Intravenous urogram (IVU)
This is an examination to observe the shape and function of the kidneys, ureter, and bladder by injecting an iodine contrast agent into a vein in the arm and taking an X-ray of the abdomen.
Target symptoms: Hematuria, back pain, etc.
Target diseases: Kidney stones, ureter stones, kidney cancer, urinary tract cancer, bladder cancer, hydronephrosis cause search, etc.
[Time for the examination]
The examination time is about 30 minutes.
Hysterosalpingography (HSG)
This is mainly an examination done in the search for causes of infertility. An iodine contrast agent is injected into the endometrial cavity to observe the shape of the endometrial cavity and the passage condition of the fallopian tubes.
[Time for the examination]
The examination time is about 20 minutes.
Fluoroscopy endoscopic examination:Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP)
Bile is made by the liver and discharged via the bile duct, and pancreatic juice is made by the pancreas and discharged via the pancreatic duct through the Vater's papilla into the duodenum. This examination is an examination to image the bile duct and the pancreatic duct by inserting an endoscope from the mouth and injecting an iodine contrast agent from the Vater's papilla which is the opening of the bile duct and the pancreatic duct.
In recent years, it has become more frequently performed, not only for imaging diagnosis but also for therapeutic purposes.
Symptoms: Vomiting, loss of appetite, right hypochondrium (right side of the ribs) pain, after-meal back pain, obstructive jaundice, etc.
Target diseases: Bile duct stones, bile duct cancer, pancreatic cancer, chronic pancreatitis, pancreatic duct bile duct junction abnormality symptoms, etc.
[Time for the examination]
The examination time is about 60 minutes.
Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL)
This is a treatment method to crush the stones from outside the body without surgical treatment of the stones (mainly urinary tract stones) and to eliminate the stones from outside the body.
X-rays or ultrasound are used to aim at the stones.
You may feel a dull pain during the treatment.
[Treatment Time]
The treatment time is about 60 minutes.
Important Points
- Please talk to your doctor or staff if you are pregnant or have a possibility of being pregnant.
- Be sure to remove bras, buttons, magnetic patches, etc. and change into exam clothes.
- Please contact the outpatient clinic if you have any questions regarding changes to your reservation.
- Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about the examination.
Q&A about X-Ray Fluoroscopy
- Q. How much barium do you drink for the upper gastrointestinal tract?
- The amount of barium is about 100 - 150cc, which is less than in the past, depending on the size and shape of the stomach.
- Q. Why do I eat the examination meals for the lower gastrointestinal tract examination?
- We may not be able to inspect the large intestine or you may not get the correct test results if there is stool left in the colon, so you need to eat so that as little stool will remain as possible. This will affect the accuracy of the exam.
- Q. What happens to the contrast agent that is used?
- When using barium, it will be excreted in the feces.
- When an iodine contrast agent is used, it excreted in the urine.
- Patients with no fluid restrictions should try to consume fluids after the exam.
