Fluoroscopy

What is fluoroscopy?

Fluoroscopy is a special type of X-ray procedure used to examine movement within the body. During a fluoroscopy exam, a continuous X-ray beam is passed through the body part that is being studied. The beam is transmitted to a screen that shows "live" images of the body part functioning. The device that projects these images onto a screen is called a fluoroscope.

Fluoroscopy is often used to examine the body's soft tissue organs, such as the stomach, small bowel, or colon. Some fluoroscopy procedures require a patient to ingest a contrast agent, such as barium, in order to better visualize the structure and function of the area under study. Among these procedures are the barium enema and the small bowel follow through.