Abstract
Oral contrast agents are categorized as “positive” (radiodense) or “neutral” (water attenuation). Positive agents are administered to opacify the bowel lumen and thus to improve the differentiation of bowel from non-bowel structures. The two main classes of positive oral contrast agents are barium sulfate suspensions and water-soluble iodinated contrast media. Enterography with CT and MRI combines neutral or low-attenuation oral contrast agents with intravenous contrast in order to evaluate the small bowel in patients with Crohn’s disease, small bowel polyps or malignancy, vascular lesions of the small bowel wall, and gastrointestinal bleeding and extraenteric structures. This chapter summarizes physical properties, clinical uses, and adverse effects of oral contrast agents.
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Saylisoy, S., Erturk, S.M. (2021). Gastrointestinal Iodinated Contrast Agents. In: Erturk, S.M., Ros, P.R., Ichikawa, T., Saylisoy, S. (eds) Medical Imaging Contrast Agents: A Clinical Manual. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79256-5_6
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