I’ve heard of a chest x-ray, and I know about x-rays for broken bones, but what is a UGI?
Answer The U in UGI stands for Upper, and the GI stands for Gastrointestinal. Your doctor is asking that your upper gastrointestinal tract be examined. This tract starts in the back of your mouth and includes the esophagus, the stomach, and the first part of your intestinal tract, called the duodenum (where most ulcers occur). Besides ulcers, your doctor is looking for cancer, polyps, inflammation or other changes that may have occurred. Because these areas are not seen well with regular x-rays, you will first be asked to swallow a barium solution that will coat the lining of the areas being examined. The radiologist can then see these body parts with the fluoroscope and can x-ray them. If the radiologist sees anything that looks like a variation from the normal, he will take additional special x-ray views of the areas in question.
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