Barium in a suitable form is administered to patients before an X-ray examination of the stomach, because
- Abarium allows X-rays to pass through the stomach on account of its transparency to X-rays
- Bbarium compound, like magnesium sulphate helps in cleaning the stomach before X-ray examination
- Cbarium is a good absorber of X-rays and this helps the stomach to appear clearly in contrast with the other regions in the pictureCorrect
- Dbarium salts are white in colour and this helps the stomach to appear clearly in contrast with other regions in the picture
Explanation
The correct answer is C because barium is a heavy element with a high atomic number, which makes it an excellent absorber of X rays. Soft tissues like the stomach are normally transparent to X rays and do not show up well on film. When a patient drinks a barium meal, the barium coats the lining of the stomach and blocks the X rays from passing through. This creates a sharp white contrast on the X ray image, allowing doctors to clearly see the shape and condition of the digestive tract against the darker surrounding areas.
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