Basic Radiology : Gastrointestinal Tract

Gastrointestinal Tract

Imaging of the hollow organs of the gastrointestinal tract began over a century ago with the use of heavy metal salts. Barium sulfate suspensions emerged as the contrast agent of choice for examination of the gastrointestinal tract. By the 1970s, other imaging modalities, including endoscopy and computed tomographic (CT) examination, appeared and have developed into alternate ways of imaging the hol-low gastrointestinal organs.

The emergence and advancements in these newer tech-nologies have dramatically affected the use of luminal con-trast examinations of the gastrointestinal tract.