A study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology found that whole milk is just as effective, costs less, and is easier on patients than a diluted barium suspension for CT images of the gastrointestinal tract.
Dr. Chi Wan Koo and colleagues at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York City conducted a study that included 215 patients undergoing abdominal and pelvic CT. All patients were given IV contrast media, while 115 were also given whole milk as an oral contrast agent, and 100 received a 0.1% barium suspension (AJR, May 2008, Vol. 190:5, pp. 1307-1313).
The study found that the images taken of patients who received whole milk were just as useful as those taken with diluted barium. Milk also had better patient acceptance and fewer adverse effects, Koo wrote.
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![Axial images from unenhanced calcium score cardiac CT (left) and curved planar reformation images from CT angiography (right) show that higher long-term exposure to air pollution is associated with greater coronary artery calcium and more obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD). Top row: Images in a 68-year-old male patient with higher 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (7.9 μg/m3 for particulate matter measuring ≤2.5 μm in diameter [PM2.5] and 17.4 parts per billion [ppb] for NO2) with extensive CAD (coronary artery calcium score [CACS] >1,000 and obstructive CAD [≥70% diameter stenosis]). Bottom row: Images in a 57-year-old female patient with lower 10-year mean ambient air pollution exposure (6.3 μg/m3 for PM2.5 and 4.6 ppb for NO2) with no CAD (CACS = 0 and no obstructive stenosis).](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/06/hanneman.r6SMLzkezo.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
