A new barium paste for computed tomography of the esophagus.

A new 3% barium paste for use in CT of the esophagus was evaluated for its ability to coat the esophageal lumen in 31 patients. The esophagus was divided into proximal, mid, and distal segments to analyze the effectiveness of lumenal opacification. The average percent opacification of these segments was 74.5, 87.7, and 60.8%, respectively, for all patients. These results indicate that this product visibly coats the esophageal lumen in the majority of patients. We found that it is easy to use, is well tolerated, and did not produce scanning artifacts. We conclude that this new oral contrast agent could be used routinely in CT of the esophagus or in selected cases to clarify problem areas.