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A member asked:

Can barium swallow test diagnose small tear in esophagus? how much msv radiation do you get from this test? i''m not getting straight forward answers.

A doctor has provided 1 answer

No diagnostic: test, including Barium Swallow, is 100%. There are always false negatives. Amount of radiation depends on how many seconds of fluoroscopy is used during the exam. Tears in the esophagus, if full thickness, manifest as mediastinitis within several hours. If partial thickness, it can cause hemorrhage. Sounds like you have neither. Ask your doctor if you really need this test.

Answered 2/15/2015

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