The physical and psychological preparation you can provide for this or any test or procedure depends on your child's age, interests, previous experience, and level of trust. The X-ray causes no discomfort. The barium milk shake has a chalky and unpleasant taste. There is low radiation exposure. X-rays are monitored and regulated to provide the minimum amount of radiation exposure needed to produce the image.
Most experts feel that the risk is low compared with the benefits.
Pregnant women and children are more sensitive to the risks of the X-ray . If the barium is not passed through the system in 2 or 3 days, notify the health care provider because it can cause a bowel obstruction . This is an example of a procedure called an upper GI series. The person swallows a substance called barium which allows for illumination of the organs in question. In this case, an ulceration is present in the stomach, seen on the right of the screen.