Basic Health Tests

These basic health tests can help your doctor with your diagnosis and treatment. Know what they are so you know that you are getting it when it is needed. These can be baseline, routine screening tests as well.

EKG

This test, also known as an electrocardiogram, gives information about your heart. It is usually done by the primary care doctor as part of a routine physical, especially if heart disease runs in your family. Typically, this test is done on anyone complaining of chest pain or discomfort. Small patches with adhesive on the back are placed on the chest, arms, and legs while the patient lies on her or his back. The electrode patches are attached to the wire cables running from the EKG machine. The heart’s electrical activity is recorded on paper. By looking at this “heart tracing” graph, the doctor can tell if there are any abnormalities like irregular heartbeats (called arrythmias), damage to heart muscle
from a heart attack, poor blood flow to the heart that causes chest pain (called angina), and heart enlargement. The doctor has been trained to know what changes or abnormalities need further testing, treatment, or hospitalization.

X-Ray

This test uses small amounts of radiation through an X-ray machine to make pictures. Itcan be done on almost any part of the body to check out a patient’s symptom, and/or the
doctor’s findings during the physical exam. Many primary care doctors have X-ray equipment in the office. If not, the patient may be referred to a special office (diagnostic center) that performs Xrays or to a local hospital radiology department.

X-rays are most commonly done on the chest, abdomen, back, joints, and extremities (arms and legs) and are done either with the patient lying down or standing up, depending on the part of the body being checked. After you have been positioned, the X-ray film cassette is placed in the machine next to the body part being X-rayed. The radiation from the machine will pass through the body part being X-rayed onto the film. The radiology technician (the person who operates the X-ray machine) will then move to a closedspace in the same room and press the buttons to take the X-ray.

During this test it is important that a protective lead shield apron be placed over the reproductive parts of the body.  Usually the technician will need to take more than one view, and so you will be asked to move a certain body part or turn a certain way. Different X-ray views give the radiologist (the doctor who reviews and interprets X-rays) a more complete view of the body part. Using the information from this test and the information from your history and physical, your doctor will be able to determine the proper diagnosis (what the problem is), treatment, and/or more tests, if needed.

There is some concern that the radiation from X-rays may be harmful. Studies have shown that small amounts of radiation are not linked with an increased risk of health problems. Over the years the amount of radiation used for X-rays has been decreased.



Ultrasound

This test is also referred to as a sonogram or sound wave test. The ultrasound uses sound
waves to make images of body parts. This changes electrical energy to sound waves that go throughthe skin into your body. When the waves contact the body’s organs, they reflect to the transducer, producing echoes. The echoes are then converted into still or moving images by a computer that makes a picture of your organs. The technician is able to see this on the monitoring screen and to make an X-ray or Polaroid-type picture. The ultrasound uses no radiation.  In this test the technician applies gel to the area to be tested. A transducer held by the technician is moved back and forth against that part of the body. This sends out the sound waves that go back into the computer.

The sonogram is commonly used to look at your internal organs in the abdomen (such as the gallbladder, kidneys, liver, spleen, and pancreas), prostate, uterus, and ovaries. It is also used to look at blood vessels (arteries and veins), the thyroid gland, breasts, and the skull. In a pregnant patient, actual moving images of the fetus can be seen. As there is no radiation exposure, the sonogram is very valuable in following fetal development in pregnancy. It is also able to detect and diagnose other conditions related to pregnancy. Sonograms are also useful in checking the heart. These are called echocardiograms or Doppler echos.



Computerized Axial Tomography
(CAT Scan, CT Scan)

The CT scan is another way to make images of body parts. The CT scanner uses X-ray beams that rotate around the body. These beams then go through a detector, and a computer analyzes and processes the data into an X-ray film. The CT machine has a table that is pulled in and out of the machine, which is a large hollow tube (like a doughnut) that can surround the body. During the test the patient lies down on the table. The scanner (inside the hollow tube) then rotates around the patient.  The CT scan is able to image many parts of the body. It detects more than a regular X-ray and produces two-dimensional views. This test is commonly used to pick up tumors, infections, enlarged organs, and many other abnormalities.


 

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

The MRI scan is another diagnostic test that does not use X-rays. Instead, it uses magnetized energy. The images produced are extremely detailed pictures of the body part scanned. It is very much like looking at the pictures in an anatomy book or almost like looking at a person internally. The MRI machine is designed muchlike a CT scan machine, except a magnet is in the hollow tube instead of X-ray beams. The test is also done while the patient lies down on a table that moves in and out of the machine. The MRI scan takes about thirty minutes to an hour. The MRI is not recommended for persons with metal or electronic implants (such as pacemakers, joint pins, prosthetics, artificial heart valves, metal fragments, shrapnel, IUDs, etc.), as those might interfere with the machine. Be sure

your doctor and technician are made aware if you have any such implants. For the claustrophobic person, the closed space of the MRI machine may create some anxiety.  Again, alert your doctor and technician. A mild sedative may be necessary prior to the test to help relax you, or you may be sent to a facility that has an open MRI. MRI scans are useful for scanning almost any body part for almost anything. Tumors, cysts, aneurysms,
herniated back discs, and orthopedic conditions are among the many abnormalities that can be detected with this test.


Mammogram

The mammogram is a plain X-ray picture of the breast. It requires a special machine that
compresses each breast against X-ray film to take the picture. The X-ray passes through the breast tissue and shows how the breast looks inside.  This test is excellent for detecting tumors and cysts. It may also show if the area is benign (no cancer) or malignant (cancer). The mammogram is able to pick up cancers that are too small to be felt or seen. It is a valuable cancer screening test.