Doctor-Reviewed Health Guides: Conditions, Procedures & Health News

A neurological exam is a hands-on physical examination that checks how well the brain, spinal cord and nerves are working. A clinician tests thinking and memory, the cranial nerves, strength, coordination, balance, walking, reflexes and sensation. It has no risks and helps decide which tests, such as MRI, EEG or nerve studies, are needed next.

A shoulder X-ray is a painless imaging test that shows the bones of the shoulder. It's the first test for shoulder pain, an injury or trouble moving the arm, and it can show fractures, dislocations and arthritis. It takes a few minutes and uses a low radiation dose. Tendons and cartilage don't show, so ultrasound or MRI may follow.

Gonioscopy is an eye exam that uses a contact lens and a slit-lamp microscope to look at the drainage angle, where the iris meets the white of the eye and fluid drains out. It shows whether the angle is open, narrow or closed, which helps diagnose and classify glaucoma. It takes 5 minutes or less and is painless.

Hemoglobin electrophoresis is a blood test that separates and measures the different types of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells. It's used to diagnose sickle cell disease, thalassemia and other inherited hemoglobin disorders, as part of newborn screening, and to explain unexplained anemia. No preparation is needed.

A kappa free light chain test (serum free light chain test) is a blood test that measures two small antibody proteins, kappa and lambda light chains, in the blood. The normal kappa-to-lambda ratio is about 0.26–1.65. The test helps diagnose and monitor multiple myeloma, MGUS, AL amyloidosis and related conditions. Results take a few days to a week.

A wrist X-ray is a painless imaging test that shows the bones of the wrist. It's the first test for wrist pain, swelling or a fall, and it finds fractures, dislocations, arthritis and infection. It takes under 15 minutes. Some injuries, such as ligament tears and hairline scaphoid fractures, may not show, so CT or MRI is sometimes needed.

A nasal endoscopy is a quick office exam in which an ENT provider passes a thin tube with a light and camera into the nose to look at the nasal passages and sinus openings. It's used for long-lasting congestion, loss of smell, facial pain, nosebleeds and nasal polyps. You stay awake, and the exam takes about 1–5 minutes.

An exercise stress echocardiogram (stress echo) is an ultrasound of the heart taken at rest and again after you exercise on a treadmill or bike. It shows whether every part of the heart muscle gets enough blood when it works harder. It's used to check for coronary artery disease. Avoid caffeine for 24 hours. It uses no radiation.

A gastric emptying study measures how quickly food and liquid leave the stomach. You eat a small meal containing a trace of radioactive tracer, and a camera takes pictures over up to 4 hours. Emptying that is too slow points to gastroparesis or a blockage; too fast points to dumping syndrome. Fast for at least 4 hours beforehand.

An ANCA test (antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody test) is a blood test that looks for autoantibodies aimed at proteins inside neutrophils, a type of white blood cell. These antibodies are strongly linked to ANCA-associated vasculitis, which inflames small blood vessels and can damage the kidneys, lungs and nerves. A positive result supports, but does not by itself prove, vasculitis.

An endometriosis ultrasound is a detailed transvaginal (and sometimes abdominal) scan that looks for signs of endometriosis, such as endometriomas, deep nodules and adhesions. It takes 30–60 minutes and has no risks. It cannot see superficial lesions smaller than 5 mm, so a normal scan does not rule endometriosis out; laparoscopy remains the definitive test.

Anorectal manometry is a test that measures how well the muscles and nerves of the rectum and anus work. A thin catheter with pressure sensors and a small balloon is placed in the rectum while you squeeze, relax and push. It takes about 30 minutes and is used to find the cause of chronic constipation and fecal incontinence.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is an ultrasound exam performed at the bedside by the clinician treating you, using a portable probe. Instead of a full radiology study, it answers one focused question in minutes, such as whether there is fluid around the heart or a clot in the leg. It has no radiation, and the result is available immediately.

A liver ultrasound is an imaging test that uses sound waves to create pictures of the liver, its blood vessels, the gallbladder and bile ducts. It's painless, uses no radiation and takes about 30 minutes. You usually fast for 6–12 hours beforehand. It can show fatty liver, scarring (cirrhosis), cysts, tumors and blocked ducts.

A glucose tolerance test shows how well the body clears sugar from the blood. For the standard 2-hour test, you fast overnight, drink 75 grams of glucose and have blood drawn after 2 hours. A 2-hour value under 140 mg/dL is normal, 140–199 mg/dL means prediabetes, and 200 mg/dL or higher means diabetes.

Fundoscopy (ophthalmoscopy) is an exam of the back of the eye: the retina, its blood vessels, the macula and the optic nerve. A provider shines a light through the pupil with a scope, sometimes after dilating drops. It takes a few minutes, is painless, and can reveal diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma damage, retinal detachment and macular degeneration.

The anterior drawer test is a hands-on exam for a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). You lie on your back with the knee bent to 90 degrees while the provider pulls the shin bone forward; too much forward movement is a positive result. A positive result is usually followed by MRI to confirm the tear.

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a laboratory test performed on a biopsy or surgical tissue sample. Antibodies that recognize a specific protein are applied to thin slices of tissue, and a color shows where the protein is present. IHC helps identify a cancer's type and origin and decide whether targeted treatments such as hormone therapy or HER2-directed drugs will work.

A stereotactic breast biopsy uses mammography to guide a needle precisely to a suspicious spot that can be seen on imaging but not felt, such as a cluster of calcifications. It's done under local anesthesia and leaves a tiny marker clip. Fewer than 30% of biopsies find cancer, and results usually arrive within a few days to a week.

A C-peptide test is a blood test that measures a protein the pancreas releases in equal amounts with insulin, showing how much insulin your own body is still making. Providers use it to tell type 1 from type 2 diabetes, investigate low blood sugar and check for an insulinoma. It's usually done after an 8–12-hour fast.

Cancer screening is testing for signs of cancer before you have any symptoms. It can find some cancers early, when they are easier to treat, and find precancerous changes that can be treated before cancer develops. Most people start regular screening in their 40s, but those at higher risk may start sooner.

Elastography is a painless, noninvasive test that measures how stiff an organ is, most often the liver. Stiff tissue usually means scarring (fibrosis), so the test helps find and track liver damage without a biopsy. It's done with ultrasound or MRI and takes minutes. Results are reported as fibrosis stages from F0 (no scarring) to F4 (cirrhosis).

A peripheral blood smear (PBS) is a blood test in which a lab spreads a drop of blood on a slide, stains it and examines the red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets under a microscope. It shows the size, shape and appearance of each cell type. It's usually ordered when a complete blood count is abnormal.

Yergason's test is a physical exam for problems with the long head of the biceps tendon. With your elbow bent at your side, you turn your palm upward against the provider's resistance. A click, snap or pain is a positive sign. It has a sensitivity of 43% and a specificity of 79%, so it's combined with other tests.