Table of contents:
- What is lopography?
- What do the patients need to prepare?
- 1. Setting the type of patient food
- 2. Drink lots of fluids
- 3. Giving laxatives
- Preparation of tools and materials
- Tool
- material
- What is the inspection process like?
The term X-ray has long been known in the community, both in the medical community and the general public. The origins of x-ray techniques that make use of X-rays themselves were developed more than a hundred years ago. You may immediately think of scan lungs or bones when you hear the term X-rays.
Along with the times and the advancement of medical technology, this method is also increasingly varied. Therefore, various new terms emerged as a result of the development of x-ray techniques, one of which is lopography. This term is rarely heard, including among health workers themselves. Actually, what is lopography and what is the purpose of this medical procedure? Relax, here we have provided the answer for you.
What is lopography?
Lopography is a technique of examining the human colon, especially the end of the large intestine, using contrast that is inserted from an artificial hole in the abdomen. The X-rays will then capture images of the intestine so that the situation of the colon can be observed.
The purpose of this examination is to find abnormalities in the wall and cavity of the large intestine. Usually doctors recommend this examination if the doctor suspects conditions such as polyps, tumors, or certain congenital abnormalities.
What do the patients need to prepare?
Lopography cannot be done without planning or being sudden. The goal of doing patient preparation is so that the waste in the large intestine does not accumulate too much, so that it will not interfere with the examination. Some of the preparations that must be made before the examination are carried out, among others:
1. Setting the type of patient food
A few days before the examination, the patient will be adjusted to the type of food. Patients will be required to eat soft, low-fat foods to avoid clots or lumps of feces in the large intestine.
2. Drink lots of fluids
Lots of fluid in the digestive tract will make it easier for feces to pass from the intestine. In addition, water can also keep the stool consistency so that it remains soft.
3. Giving laxatives
If necessary, usually the doctor will give the patient laxatives with the aim of removing the remaining feces or feces from the large intestine so that the examination can run optimally and the results are accurate.
Preparation of tools and materials
Along with optimizing the patient's condition, the medical team at the hospital will also prepare the tools and materials that will be used in this X-ray examination of the large intestine.
Tool
- X-ray machine
- X-ray cassette
- An apron or a special dress
- Gloves
- Container
- Plaster
material
- Catheter hose
- Contrast medium (barium)
- Warm water
- Jelly to read x-rays
What is the inspection process like?
After all the preparations have been made, the patient will be given an X-ray for the first time to evaluate whether the condition of the colon is optimal or there is still a lot of stool. If it is optimal, the barium contrast will be inserted through a small artificial hole from the abdominal wall so that the substance fills the end of the large intestine.
The procedure will be continued by taking the next few pictures, where the colon is now filled with barium fluid. This series of images is useful for evaluating whether there is a mass or other abnormality in the area. The patient will be asked to change positions so that the entire intestinal segment can be captured by the X-ray machine.
Don't worry, usually after undergoing this examination you will not experience any side effects and do not need to be hospitalized (unless you have special conditions or have been asked by the doctor to be hospitalized).
This lopography can be an initial examination before further procedures such as a biopsy or other imaging methods, if necessary.
Currently, lopography seems to be increasingly abandoned by medical personnel. This happens because of the advancement of medical technology, one of which is the emergence of colonoscopy. By inserting a tube with a camera directly into the human colon, colonoscopy can produce the situation live in the intestinal cavity as well as more comfortable for the patient.
