Milk just as good as barium

Next time you're prepping for a CT of your gastrointestinal tract, you might not need to reach any further than your refrigerator because a new study suggests that whole milk is just as effective, costs less, and is easier on patients than the barium suspension commonly used for oral contrast.

A study of 215 patients turned up this conclusion and besides the similar effectiveness of milk and barium, patients were generally happier drinking milk.

Says Chi Wan Koo, MD, lead author of the study: "We found that milk was less expensive, it had better patient acceptance and fewer adverse symptoms."

Intrigued? Check out the study abstract here, in the May issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.