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Barium Contrast Radiography and Scintigraphy

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Esophageal and Gastric Disorders in Infancy and Childhood

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Abstract

Several tests are available in clinical practice to detect gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), including barium contrast radiography and gastroesophageal scintigraphy. Different studies exist about the specificity, sensitivity, and positive/negative predictive values of barium contrast radiography and scintigraphy, considering pH monitoring as the gold standard for the diagnosis of GERD. Barium contrast radiography is useful for the diagnosis of anatomic abnormalities which may be the cause of symptoms similar to GERD. Scintigraphy with 99technetium is a technique proposed as helpful in detecting reflux, gastric emptying, and microaspiration. However, the sensitivity and specificity of both techniques are much lower than those of pH monitoring. In conclusion, according to the last guidelines on GERD, these techniques are not recommended in the routine diagnosis of GER/GERD, but they can exclude other disorders which can simulate GERD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, University of Naples “Federico II”, Via Pansini N 20 5, 80131, Naples, Italy

    Rossella Turco MD, Dario Ummarino MD & Annamaria Staiano MD

Authors
  1. Rossella Turco MD
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  2. Dario Ummarino MD
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  3. Annamaria Staiano MD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Annamaria Staiano MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria

    Holger Till

  2. Sheffield Children’s Hospital, Paediatric Gastroenterology Centre, Sheffield, United Kingdom

    Mike Thomson

  3. Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    John E. Foker

  4. Department Surgery, University of Missouri, Kansas City Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, Missouri, USA

    George W. Holcomb III

  5. University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA

    Khalid M. Khan

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Turco, R., Ummarino, D., Staiano, A. (2017). Barium Contrast Radiography and Scintigraphy. In: Till, H., Thomson, M., Foker, J., Holcomb III, G., Khan, K. (eds) Esophageal and Gastric Disorders in Infancy and Childhood. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11202-7_80

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11202-7_80

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