Gastrografin

( ARTG ) Gastrografin is a contrast medium for examination of the gastrointestinal tract. It can be administered orally and as enema and is primarily indicated in cases in which the use barium sulfate is unsatisfactory, undesirable or contraindicated. Among these are: - suspected partial or complete stenosis - acute haemorrhage - threatening perforation (peptic ulcer, diverticulum) - other acute conditions which are likely to require surgery - after resection of the stomach or the intestine (danger of perforation or leak) - megacolon - visualisation of a foreign body or tumour before endoscopy - visualisation of gastrointestinal fistula. In addition to these conditions Gastrografin can generally be used for the same purposes as barium sulfate with the exception of the visualisation of mucosal diseases. Due to the insufficient coating properties of Gastrografin, barium sulfate should be used for single or double contrast techniques. In combination with barium sulfate, Gastrografin has considerably improved routine investigation of the gastrointestinal tract both from a diagnostic and from an organisational point of view - the latter by speeding up the examination. It is unsuitable only for the diagnosis of enteritis. Further indications: a) early diagnosis of a radiologically undetectable perforation or anastomotic defect in the oesophagus or gastrointestinal tract. b) Treatment of meconium ileus. c) Computerised tomography in the abdominal region. The danger of false diagnosis is significantly reduced if the intestine is opacified with Gastrografin, especially for differential diagnoses in the minor pelvis. Gastrografin facilitates delimitation of the intestine from neighbouring organs and permits an assessment of changes in the shape of the pancreas.