The child must drink a chalky substance called barium, which shows up white on the X ray. The most important reason for doing a barium swallow is to make sure there is normal anatomy, and not some other anatomic cause predisposing to gastroesophageal reflux. Useful to detect esophagitis and gastric and duodenal inflammation. For endoscopy, the child is sedated, and a flexible plastic tube with a tiny camera on the end is inserted through the mouth, down the throat, and into the esophagus and stomach. During this test, which takes about 15 minutes to do, the esophageal and stomach walls are carefully inspected for signs of inflammation.
Biopsies are pinhead-sized pieces of the surface tissue layer.
They are inspected under the microscope. Biopsy results generally take a few days to get. Delineates mechanisms of reflux and may help guide therapy. This test measures the time it takes for food to leave the stomach. It is a useful screening test, especially when the results are normal.