Upper Gastrointestinal (UGI) Series: How To Prepare

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How To Prepare

Tell your doctor if you:

• Are taking any medicine.
• Are allergic to any medicines, barium, or any other X-ray contrast material.
• Are or might be pregnant. This test is not done during pregnancy because of the risk of radiation to the developing baby (fetus).

You may be asked to eat a low-fiber diet for 2 or 3 days before the test. You may also be asked to stop eating for 12 hours before the test. Your doctor will tell you if you need to stop taking certain medicines before the test.

The evening before the test, you may be asked to take a laxative to help clean out your intestines. If your stomach cannot empty well on its own, you may have a special tube put through your nose and down into your stomach just before the test begins. A gentle suction on the tube will drain the stomach contents.

If you are having the small bowel follow-through after the UGI series, you will need to wait between X-rays. The entire small bowel follow-through exam takes up to 6 hours, so bring along a book to read or some other quiet activity.

You may be asked to sign a consent form. Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will mean. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the medical test information form (What is a PDF document?) .

Last updated:	November 04, 2008
Author:	Monica Rhodes
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, Peter J. Kahrilas, MD - Gastroenterology
Editors:	Maria Essig, Tracy Landauer