We use imaging tools to prevent, diagnose, and treat problems in your digestive system.

Common reasons for digestive imaging include:

• Abdominal pain or bloating
• Blood in the stool
• Constipation and diarrhea
• Heartburn
• Nausea and vomiting
• Unexplained weight loss

Screening tests look for signs of disease before symptoms. Colorectal screening detects and removes cancer and pre-cancer growths.

All adults aged 45 to 75 should get colorectal cancer screening. If you're over 75, talk with your doctor about screening suggestions.

Colorectal cancer screening options include:

• Colonoscopy: We use a tiny video camera through the anus to look for growths and remove them
• Flexible sigmoidoscopy: Similar to a colonoscopy, it only looks at the colon's lower portion (left side)
• Virtual colonography: This less invasive scan makes a 3-D image of the colon and rectum

Imaging tests help us see how well parts of your digestive system work and check if things look how they should. We use the latest tools to tailor imaging to your needs.

Basic imaging scans

The basic technology of abdominal imaging is X-rays, CT scans, positron emission tomography (PET) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound.   

X-rays use radiation to see inside the body. Fluoroscopy is a real-time X-ray video. A CT scan takes hundreds of detailed, cross-sectional X-rays of your digestive organs. 

• CT angiography or CT venography can check for blood vessel blockages or bleeding
• CT enterography looks at the small intestine

A PET scan is like a CT scan. It tracks cancer by highlighting high-energy areas in the body. An octreotide scan is a PET scan that looks for neuroendocrine tumors.

MRI uses magnetic forces to see the liver in detail and see if a growth is cancer.

• Magnetic resonance angiography can show blood flow in the digestive tract, showing narrowed or blocked blood vessels.
• Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography can show the bile, pancreatic, and gallbladder ducts. It can see anything blocking them.
• Magnetic resonance enterography checks the small intestine for signs of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) or other GI issues.

Ultrasound uses sound waves to see your digestive organs from outside the body.  

• A Doppler ultrasound shows blood flow in an organ or part of the body.
• An endoscopic ultrasound uses a long, flexible probe. The doctor can move the tube through the mouth into the stomach and small intestine.
• A lower GI endoscopic ultrasound moves the probe through the anus up into the colon.

Lower GI imaging

We use lower GI imaging tests when you have blood in your stool or ongoing diarrhea or constipation. It can find, diagnose, or monitor:

• IBD, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
• Colon cancer if a colonoscopy can't reach the end of the colon

A lower GI series (or barium enema) uses dye to examine the colon with fluoroscopy.

Another test, called defecography, uses a thick dye in your rectum. It helps us see how your muscles work during a bowel movement. It can help highlight blockages and other issues.

Upper GI imaging

We use upper GI imaging tests to find, diagnose, and monitor: 

• Abnormal growths, including tumors or polyps
• IBD
• Diverticulitis
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Hiatal hernia 

An esophagogram involves swallowing a barium solution and getting X-rays. We use it to see how your mouth, throat, and esophagus work together during swallowing.  

This test is an upper GI series that includes your stomach and the first part of your small intestine.

Gastric emptying tests

A gastric emptying test can diagnose stomach and intestine-related health issues, including gastroparesis. It tracks how quickly food leaves the stomach. 

These imaging tests include:

• Gastric emptying study (scintigraphy): You eat a special meal that contains a dye. Fluoroscopy uses X-rays to track the meal over time.
• Wireless motility capsule (pill endoscopy): You swallow a pill-sized device that measures pressure, temperature, and acid levels. It travels through your GI tract to assess how well the intestines move food.

HIDA scan

A hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan tests the bile ducts, gallbladder, and liver function. It can detect blockages, inflammation, or bile leaks.

It uses a radioactive dye that binds to bile in your liver. It's also called cholescintigraphy. Fluoroscopy tracks the bile as it travels through your gallbladder and the bile duct.

RBC scan

A tagged red blood cell scan uses a radioactive dye to light up red blood cells. Tracing the red blood cell's path in the body can help find active bleeding in the intestines. Even small bleeds can show up on the X-ray scans using this method.

We also use imaging tools to treat GI tract and digestive health issues. We use imaging to ensure the correct placement of drains to help improve blood or fluid flow. It can also ensure that treatments like radiation are exact.

Cancer-related procedures

During a biopsy to learn more about a tumor, your doctor may use image guidance to ensure they're taking a sample of the right area. Before you start radiation, you may need to have a fiducial marker placed. This helps target the treatment to the tumor.

You'll also need imaging if you get selective internal radiation therapy to ensure accurate delivery of radiation to the liver.

Ablation uses high-energy radio or microwaves to destroy cells. These may be pre-cancerous or from Barrett's esophagus, a common condition caused by GERD. In the upper GI tract, ablation uses an endoscope.

Procedures on the bile duct and liver

Your doctor may remove a gallstone using an endoscope, called an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. This uses fluoroscopy to see the bile ducts and guide stone removal with tools like baskets or balloons.

If an endoscopic procedure isn't an option, the doctor may remove the stones or drain the duct with a catheter guided by fluoroscopy. This can detect blockages, narrowing, or leaks.

A transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) uses image guidance to connect 2 large liver veins to improve blood flow. It reduces fluid buildup in the abdomen. TIPS also lowers the risk of internal bleeding in cirrhosis patients.

Feeding tubes

Your doctor will use imaging techniques to place a G-tube (percutaneous gastrostomy) or J-tube (jejunostomy) and check that it's in the right spot.

Drainage procedures

A stent can drain and keep open a blocked or inflamed bile duct, esophagus, stomach, or small or large intestine. We use imaging to ensure the stent is in the right spot.

We also use imaging guidance for percutaneous abscess drainage. We place a needle or catheter through the skin to remove or drain infected fluid in the abdomen or pelvis. This fluid can appear due to appendicitis or diverticulitis.

Procedures to control bleeding

Embolization controls bleeding by blocking blood flow. We can do it with an ultrasound endoscope to monitor the placement to prevent or stop bleeding in the GI tract.

We can also use a small catheter tube to place a tiny gelatin sponge or beads to block blood flow. This is good for treating upper GI bleeding and certain cancers. It's called transcatheter arterial embolization.

We can also add chemotherapy directly to a tumor before blocking the artery. This procedure is a transarterial chemoembolization.