Barium in a suitable form is administered to patients before an X-ray examination of the stomach, because
Barium in a suitable form is administered to patients before an X-ray examination of the stomach, because
(a) barium allows X-rays to pass through the stomach on account of its transparency to X-rays
(b) barium is a good absorber of g-rays and this helps the stomach to appear clearly in contrast with the other regions in the picture
(c) barium is a good absorber of X-rays and this helps the stomach to appear clearly in contrast with the other regions in the picture
(d) barium salts are white in colour and this helps the stomach to appear clearly in contrast with other regions in the pictures
1 Answers
(c) Barium is given in adequate amount to patients before X-ray examination. The gut (gastrointestinal tract) does not show up very well on ordinary X-ray pictures. However, if you drink a white liquid that contains a chemical called barium sulphate, the outline of the upper parts of the gut (oesophagus, stomach and small intestines) shows up clearly on Xray pictures. This is because X-rays do not pass through barium.