What is the difference between barium meal and gastroscopy?

Nowadays, due to irregular diet, poor eating habits and other reasons, people have more or less some problems with their stomachs. If it is mild, you only need to take medicine or adjust your eating habits, but if it is serious, you need to go to the hospital for examination. There are many ways to examine the stomach, gastroscopy and barium meal are two of the more commonly used ones. So, what are the differences between gastroscopy and barium meal?

1. What is gastroscopy?

Gastroscopy is currently the most reliable method for diagnosing esophageal, gastric and duodenal diseases. It cannot be replaced by any other examination methods, including upper gastrointestinal barium angiography, electrogastrogram and gastrointestinal color B-ultrasound.

Gastroscopy uses a slender tube with a diameter of about one centimeter and a light-conducting fiber wrapped in black plastic. The front end is equipped with an endoscope and is inserted through the mouth into the subject's esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. The strong light emitted by the light source can bend the light through the light-conducting fiber, allowing the doctor to clearly observe the health status of various parts of the upper digestive tract from the other end. If necessary, a clip can be inserted through the small hole on the gastroscope for biopsy. The entire examination takes about 10 minutes, and if a biopsy is required, it will take 20 to 30 minutes.

What is a barium meal?

Barium meal radiography, also known as barium radiography of the digestive tract, is an examination method that uses barium sulfate as a contrast agent to show whether there are any lesions in the digestive tract under X-ray irradiation. Unlike barium enema, barium meal radiography involves the oral administration of contrast agents, which allows for clearer radiological examinations of the entire digestive tract, especially the upper digestive tract. The barium meal used for gastrointestinal examination is medicinal barium sulfate (i.e. a suspension of barium sulfate). Because it is insoluble in water and lipids, it will not be absorbed by the gastrointestinal mucosa and is therefore basically non-toxic to humans.

3. What is the difference between gastroscopy and barium meal?

Barium meal (also known as upper gastrointestinal barium contrast) and fiber gastroscopy are routine examination methods for upper gastrointestinal diseases, and each has its own advantages.

Patients generally experience no pain or complications during barium meal examinations and are easy to accept. The patient needs to first take 3 to 5 grams of gas-generating powder to fully expand the stomach, and then take a certain amount of medically pure barium sulfate suspension to fill the stomach. When X-rays pass through the human body, the shape, size, position, and peristalsis of the stomach filled with barium are indirectly observed using a monitor, and video is taken to make a comprehensive judgment based on the clinical manifestations. For some patients with atypical clinical symptoms and X-ray signs, other examinations must be combined.

Fiber gastroscopy is a procedure in which a multi-lumen fiber catheter with a lens is inserted through the mouth into the duodenal bulb, and the endoscope is gradually withdrawn to directly observe the mucosal tissues in various parts. The diagnosis of typical lesions can be made directly, and biopsy can be performed on suspicious tissues. It can also perform therapeutic operations, such as removing foreign bodies, electrocoagulation to stop bleeding, and introducing laser to treat gastric and esophageal malignant tumors. During the examination, the patient may feel some discomfort and pain due to mechanical friction between the gastroscope and the stomach. In addition, gastroscopes are expensive and are designed to be reused. If they are not properly disinfected, the chance of cross infection will increase, so they should not be abused.