Gastrointestinal imaging and barium meal are basically the same thing. Gastrointestinal imaging is the method of examination, and barium meal is the contrast agent used in the examination.
Barium meal is medical barium sulfate, which is only used for esophagus and gastrointestinal tract imaging. The esophagus and gastrointestinal tract are hollow organs, and barium sulfate imaging is often chosen as an examination method. If the intestinal lumen is expanded with gas at the same time, a double contrast of gas and barium is formed, and the details are displayed more clearly.
Barium meal examination of esophagus and gastrointestinal tract, also known as gastrointestinal imaging examination, usually adopts the method of oral intake or infusion of barium, which can clearly show the inner lumen of esophagus and gastrointestinal tract and the mucous membrane folds, etc., to achieve the purpose of disease detection and diagnosis.
It should be noted that patients with intestinal obstruction should also be cautious of constipation when undergoing gastrointestinal imaging.