If you’ve ever gone to the doctor with symptoms of an illness or injury, your healthcare practitioner is likely to have recommended that you undergo diagnostic testing at a diagnostics laboratory. Medical diagnostic tests include a wide range of invasive and non-invasive physical examinations. If you’re thinking about going to one but aren’t sure what to expect, this article will explain everything you need to know before going.

What is Diagnostic Testing Used For?

As previously said, diagnostic testing is commonly used by diagnostic laboratories to determine the underlying condition that brought a patient to the doctor in the first place. Diagnostic testing, on the other hand, is not just used for diagnosis. Even though there are an overwhelming number of medical examinations used to detect an even greater number of ailments, they may all be grouped into one of five roles:

• Confirmation/Exclusion: A test that is performed to confirm or rule out a suspected condition.
• Triage: A quick-to-administer initial test with a narrow margin of error for false-positive results.
• Monitoring: A series of tests that allow the efficacy of a treatment to be assessed.
• Prognosis: A prognosis is a prediction of how well a treatment will work or how far a condition will progress.
• Screening: A test used to indicate the existence of the disease in a person starting as symptomless.

Let’s look at the specific diagnostic testing methods most typically employed by doctors now that you’ve gotten a rough notion of the aim of the numerous tasks that diagnostic tests are used to complete.

Diagnostic Tests You Might Have to Get

Complete blood count (CBC)

A complete blood count (CBC) is a common type of blood test that examines fifteen various blood test values to offer an overall overview of a person’s health. It is frequently the first test done to evaluate if a patient has an infection or if other causes are causing their symptoms.

The Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP)

A CMP is a fourteen-part blood analysis, similar to a CBC, that offers information on a patient’s current metabolism, including kidney and liver function, electrolytes, protein, blood glucose levels, and acidity/alkalinity.

X-Ray

To record an image that depicts variations in tissue density, X-ray machines use low doses of high-energy radiation waves focused on a specific body area. The most well-known type of diagnostic imaging is X-ray, which is frequently used to check abnormalities in the arms, legs, chest, and, on rare occasions, the spine, and abdomen.

Computer Tomography (CT)

CT scans are more advanced and detailed versions of x-rays that create cross-sectional images of interior structures such as bones, soft tissues, blood vessels, and other internal structures. These machines work by sending narrow x-ray beams through the body and into an x-ray detector located right across from the source of the x-rays. CT scans are essential for detecting internal injuries, fractures, and tumor growth that is otherwise asymptomatic.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

An MRI is a type of advanced imaging method that employs magnetic and radio waves to create highly detailed images of organs, soft tissues, bones, and other interior structures without exposing the patient to radiation. The ideal method for detecting abnormalities in the brain and spinal cord, particularly the presence of malignancies in these areas, is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Ultrasonography

Ultrasound scanning involves projecting images of internal organs, tissues, and vessels on a computer screen using very high-frequency sound waves and a transducer (a probe used to produce and receive sound waves that bounce off bodily tissues and cause echoes). Ultrasound scans are most commonly used in obstetrics to monitor fetal development and to detect edema and infection within the body.

This list comprises the most regularly administered diagnostic procedures used in the first screening phase of determining an ailment’s underlying cause, though it is by no means an entire database of tests done by doctors to aid in the process of diagnosing and treating various disorders. 

Conclusion

For many of us, going to the doctor is usually an indication that something is wrong with our bodies, and we wait until the symptoms become unbearable before seeking help. If you or a loved one is suffering, it’s time to see the best diagnostic laboratory, The Niraamaya Diagnostic, today.