A barium swallow is a type of test used to look inside the esophagus, or food pipe. A doctor might recommend this test if they need to look at the outline of any part of a person’s digestive system.

What Is an Upper GI Series? An upper GI series is a group of X-ray tests that look at your GI tract -- your food pipe (the esophagus), stomach, and the first part of your small intestine (the duodenum ...

Named after the Greek word barys for "heavy," barium is a relatively dense and reactive alkaline earth metal. It is only found naturally when combined with other elements, and compounds containing ...