The use of oral Metoclopramide in the barium meal and follow-through examination

Metoclopramide given orally in a dose of 20 mg three to ten minutes prior to a barium meal and follow-through examination is an effective hurrying agent allowing routine follow-through examinations to be undertaken with a minimum of extra films or radiation. The more rapid emptying of the stomach allows immediate visualisation of the duodenal cap and loop and does not appear to interfere with the diagnostic quality of the films so obtained. Apart from the increase in the number of contracted segments there was no detectable difference in the pattern of the small bowel or its calibre, which was displayed down to the terminal ileum within 75 minutes in the vast majority of cases. No untoward side effects were detected in patients taking 20 mg of Metoclopramide orally prior to a barium meal. Lesions such as diverticula and those associated with Crohn's disease were clearly visible.