Abdominal X-Rays

An x-ray is the simplest kind of image that your doctor can order. It can look for a blockage in the bowel, perforation/tear and how much stool is in your colon. There is a very small amount of radiation in each x-ray.

Ultrasound

Ultrasonography uses sound waves to take pictures of your body. In IBD, you may have an ultrasound to look at your liver and gall bladder, your bladder and possibly part of your intestines. There is no radiation involved. A small probe is placed on your body with gel to take the pictures.

Upper GI Series with Small Bowel Follow-Through

This test examines your small intestine to look for Crohn’s disease. You will need to drink liquid barium, and the test usually takes about two hours for the barium to get through the entire small intestine. There is radiation exposure with this test.

CT Scan

CT scans (or CAT scans) are tests that use radiation to take more detailed pictures of your abdomen than an x-ray. Most of the time, you will drink a liquid (called “contrast”) and receive a different liquid (another kind of contrast) through a vein. Our radiologists at MGfC use special equipment so that the radiation dose is lower than the national average.

CT Enterography

CT enterography (or CTE) is a special kind of CT scan that gives better pictures of the small intestine than a standard CT. For this test, you will also need to drink contrast and receive contrast through a vein. The radiation involved in a CTE is about the same as our standard CT scan.

MR Enterography

MRIs also provide detailed pictures of your abdomen but without radiation. An MR enterography (or MRE) is an alternative to a CTE. You need to drink contrast and get contrast through a vein. MRE studies take longer than CTEs and offer different information to your gastroenterologist than a CTE. They may take up to 1 hour, and you need to stay relatively still during this test.

MRCP

A magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatogram (MRCP) is a specialized MRI that looks at the gall bladder, liver and the channels that drain the liver and pancreas. There is nothing to drink, but contrast is given through a vein.

Rev.11/2013