Home › Report templates › Normal Esophagram (Barium Swallow) Report Template
Normal Esophagram (Barium Swallow) Report Template
Normal barium esophagram report template: double- and single-contrast technique, pharynx, esophageal motility, mucosal pattern, distensibility, gastroesophageal junction and reflux provocation, with notes on strictures, rings, hiatal hernia and the modified barium swallow distinction.
EXAMINATION: Esophagram (barium swallow), [double-contrast and single-contrast / single-contrast]. CLINICAL HISTORY: [indication, e.g. “Intermittent solid-food dysphagia for 3 months” / “Gastroesophageal reflux symptoms, evaluate for hiatal hernia” / “Post-fundoplication, evaluate the wrap”] COMPARISON: None available. TECHNIQUE: Following a scout image, the patient ingested [effervescent granules and] high-density barium in the upright position for double-contrast evaluation of the esophageal mucosa, followed by thin barium in the prone right anterior oblique position for single-contrast assessment of esophageal motility and distensibility. Spot and rapid-sequence images of the pharynx, esophagus and gastroesophageal junction were obtained. [A 13 mm barium tablet was administered. / Provocative maneuvers for reflux were performed.] Fluoroscopy time: [x] minutes. [Dose: x mGy.] FINDINGS: Pharynx: Normal swallowing mechanism with prompt epiglottic inversion and complete clearance of the valleculae and piriform sinuses. No penetration or aspiration. No Zenker's or Killian-Jamieson diverticulum. Normal cricopharyngeus without a persistent impression. Esophageal motility: Normal primary peristalsis clears the bolus with each of [5] single swallows in the prone position. No tertiary contractions, retained barium or delayed emptying. Esophageal mucosa: Smooth and featureless on double-contrast views. No ulceration, plaque, nodularity or mass. No filling defect. Caliber and distensibility: The esophagus is normal in caliber and distends normally throughout its length. No stricture, ring or web. [The 13 mm barium tablet passed freely into the stomach.] Normal transient extrinsic impressions from the aortic arch and left mainstem bronchus. Gastroesophageal junction: Normal location at the level of the diaphragmatic hiatus. No hiatal hernia. No Schatzki ring. The gastroesophageal junction opens normally and the bolus passes freely into the stomach without delay or a “bird-beak” configuration. Reflux: No spontaneous gastroesophageal reflux [or reflux with provocative maneuvers (Valsalva, water siphon test)]. Stomach (visualized): Normal gastric fundus and cardia on the included views. [No abnormality of the fundoplication wrap.] Extraluminal: No contrast extravasation. IMPRESSION: 1. Normal esophagram. Normal esophageal motility, mucosa and caliber. 2. No hiatal hernia, stricture or gastroesophageal reflux demonstrated.
Dictation notes
- An esophagram is not a modified barium swallow: the esophagram is the radiologist's study of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction; the modified barium swallow is the speech-language pathologist's dynamic study of the oral and pharyngeal phases with graded consistencies — name which was done, because dysphagia referrals often need the other one.
- Motility is assessed in the prone position, one swallow at a time: a normal study needs several single swallows cleared by primary peristalsis, and repetitive swallowing or the upright position lets gravity hide achalasia and aperistalsis.
- The 13 mm barium tablet is the dysphagia test — a ring or stricture that holds the tablet or reproduces the symptom is the answer even when the mucosa looks smooth; report the narrowest diameter and the length of any stricture and whether the margins are smooth (benign) or shouldered and irregular (malignant until proven otherwise).
- Describe the hiatal hernia by type and size (sliding versus paraesophageal, reducible or not, length above the hiatus) and distinguish a Schatzki ring (B ring at the squamocolumnar junction, symptomatic under 13 mm) from a muscular A ring.
- Reflux demonstrated on fluoroscopy is specific but insensitive (about 30-40% of patients with proven GERD), so a negative study is worded “no reflux demonstrated” rather than “no reflux”; water-soluble contrast is used first when a leak or perforation is the question, and barium only after it is negative.
Never paste a template again
MyRadAgent turns a scratch dictation into this report — structured, guideline-checked, in your own section headers and phrasing. It learns your style from every correction. Free trial: 100 reports over 14 days, no card, no IT ticket.
Draft a report with it → or watch the live demo first — no signup →This is a reference implementation of a published guideline, for use by qualified clinicians. It does not account for patient-specific factors and is not a substitute for clinical judgment or a formal radiology consultation. Templates are generic scaffolds for licensed radiologists; verify wording against your own practice standards. See our full disclaimer.