Preparing for Fluoroscopy

Things to note on the day of the appointment:

When to arrive

Arrive 20 minutes before your appointment.

Clothing

Wear loose and comfortable clothes on your appointment day. You will be requested to change into a hospital gown and asked to remove any eyewear, jewellery, or removable dental devices from your body.

Valuables

We suggest you leave your valuables at home and only bring the essentials on the day of your appointment.

Medical leave

Please note that no medical leave will be issued on the day of exam. An excuse chit can be given upon request.
Preparation

How to prepare for a Fluoroscopy Examination

Barium Swallow

• No food or drinks allowed 6 hours before your appointment.
• Avoid smoking during this period.
• For female patients, please inform the staff if you are pregnant or likely to be pregnant before the examination.

Video Fluoroscopy Swallow

• Bring dentures, hearing aid or speaking valves where applicable.
• For female patients, please inform the staff if you are pregnant or likely to be pregnant before the examination.
• During the procedure, the Speech Therapist will feed you with food of different consistencies (solid, semi-solid, liquid) that is mixed with barium sulfate solution.

Barium Meal

• No food or drinks allowed 6 hours before your appointment.
• Avoid smoking during this period.
• Please inform the doctor or staff attending to you if you have a history of contrast medium (dye), Buscopan or Glucagon allergy.
• For female patients, please inform the staff if you are pregnant or likely to be pregnant before the examination.

Water-Soluble Contrast Enema

• No specific preparation or fasting is required.
• Please inform the doctor or staff attending to you if you have a history of contrast medium (dye), Buscopan or Glucagon allergy.
• For female patients, please inform the staff if you are pregnant or likely to be pregnant before the examination.
• For stoma patients (opening onto the surface of the abdomen), please bring along a spare stoma bag.

Defaecating Proctography

• Empty the bowel before the examination.
• A Barium Sulfate oat mixture would be administered into the rectum by a doctor.
• The patient will be seated on a commode.
• The patient will be instructed to squeeze and strain the rectum to defecate to the best of his ability. A real-time X-ray will be taken to capture the transition of Barium oat mixture through the rectum.

Fluoroscopic Injection

• No prior preparation is needed.
• You may resume routine daily activities following an arthrogram, but participation in athletics or exercises should be avoided for 2 days, and athletes should consult their coach or trainer prior to resuming practice.
• You may experience some discomfort and swelling of the joint for a day or two after the arthrogram. This can be treated with aspirin or Panadol (Paracetamol) if you are not allergic.
• Infection of the joint is a rare but serious complication of an arthrogram and requires treatment with antibiotics. If you have symptoms of pain, swelling, redness of the skin, or fever for 3 or more days after the
• Fluoroscopic Injection, please call your physician or seek attention at the Accident & Emergency Department, Singapore General Hospital.