Introduction: The introduction will present the role of contrast media (CM) in medical imaging examinations, their use, and significance for diagnostics. It will also highlight the drawbacks of contrast media, such as the possibility of adverse effects, and briefly describe different types of CM and their areas of application. The introduction will serve as a foundation for understanding the subsequent content of the thesis, which will focus mainly on barium contrast media. Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to present the basic characteristics and side effects of barium contrast media and to emphasize the importance of proper handling in clinical practice. The work will also seek to shed light on key factors that affect the safety and effectiveness of barium media and how these substances contribute to diagnostics in medical imaging techniques. Methods: The thesis is based on a descriptive method with an analysis of existing literature in the fields of radiology and medicine. The literature was collected from Slovenian and international databases (Cobiss, RUL, PubMed, Science Direct, etc.). The search took place between August 8 and August 30, 2024. Using inclusion and exclusion criteria, 15 articles were selected for detailed analysis. Results: The results will be presented in terms of the various impacts of barium contrast media on diagnostic accuracy in imaging techniques such as VFSS, CT, and micro-CT. Key factors such as the structure, viscosity, and safety of barium media will be discussed, as well as their importance for predicting adverse outcomes such as aspiration pneumonia or vascular injury. Discussion and conclusion: In the discussion, we compared the results of various studies and found that barium contrast agents, despite the development of newer contrast preparations, are still frequently used due to their high diagnostic value, particularly in examinations of the gastrointestinal tract and functional swallowing disorders. We discussed possible improvements in safety when using barium agents, especially regarding appropriate patient selection, adjustment of contrast medium viscosity, and consideration of contraindications, such as suspected gastrointestinal perforation or increased risk of aspiration. The importance of new dual-modal contrast agents, which combine barium compounds with other imaging modalities and demonstrate potential for further improvement in diagnostic accuracy, was also presented. In the conclusion, we emphasized the main findings of the thesis and highlighted the importance of proper and safe use of barium contrast agents in clinical practice. Recommendations for clinical work were provided, along with guidelines for future research, which should focus on the development of safer formulations and further evaluation of new contrast agents.
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