Diagnostic Tests What do you have to do to prepare for a MRI? Will having a liver biopsy be painful? Will I need to do anything special afterward? How soon will it be safe to go home after a cardiac catheterization and what are the risks? How soon will the results of that antibody test be back? Our information on diagnostic tests includes the following procedures. What category of test do you want to find out about? Brain and Nervous System Skin, Hair, Nails Eyes Ears, Nose, and Throat Bones, Joints, and Muscles Lungs Heart, Blood Vessels, and Circulation Blood Disorders Digestive System Urinary System Hormonal Disorders Infertility, Pregnancy, and Childbirth Health of Women Health of Men Alphabetized List of Tests Select a Test Abdominal CT (computed tomography) scan Abdominal Ultrasound Amniocentesis Arterial blood flow studies of the legs (Segmental Doppler Pressures) Anoscopy Back x-rays (or spine x-rays) Barium enema Barium swallow (or upper gastrointestinal or "UGI series") Bone density test for osteoporosis Bone marrow biopsy Bone scan Breast ultrasound Bronchoscopy Cardiac catheterization Carotid ultrasound (carotid doppler) Chest x-ray Chorionic villus sampling Colonoscopy Colposcopy and cervical biopsy Computer tomography (CT) for abdomen Computed tomography (CT) for back problems Cystoscopy Cystourethrogram Echocardiogram Electrocardiogram Electromyography and nerve conduction studies Electrophysiological (EP) testing of the heart Endometrial biopsy Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) Enhanced alpha fetoprotein test ("Triple Screen") Excisional biopsy of the breast Exercise stress test Fecal occult blood (FOB) test Fetal ultrasound Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of the breast Flexible sigmoidoscopy Fluorescein angiography (for diabetic retinopathy) Holter monitor Hysterosalpingogram Hysteroscopy Intravenous pyelogram Kidney biopsy Laparoscopy Liver biopsy Lower extremity doppler (Venous ultrasound of the legs) Lumbar puncture (or spinal tap) Lymph node biospy Magnetic resonance image (MRI) of the brain Magnetic resonance image (MRI) of the spine Mammogram Mediastinoscopy Myelography Oxygen saturation test Pap smear Pelvic ultrasound and transvaginal ultrasound Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTCA) Pleural fluid sampling (or thoracentesis) PSA (prostate specific-antigen) test Pulmonary angiography Pulmonary function testing Radionuclide scan of the kidneys Rapid Strep test Scratch test for allergies Segmental Doppler Pressures (Arterial blood flow studies of the legs) Skin biopsy Snellen test for visual acuity Spinal tap (or lumbar puncture) Spine x-rays (or back x-rays) Sputum evaluation (and sputum induction) Stereotactic biopsy of the breast (breast core biopsy) Testing for vaginitis (yeast infections, trichomonas, and gardnerella) Thoracentesis (or pleural fluid sampling) Throat culture Thyroid scan Tonometry Transrectal ultrasound and biopsy of the prostate Triple screen test (or enhanced alpha fetoprotein test) Tuberculosis (TB) skin test Upper endoscopy (or esophagogastroduodenoscopy) Upper gastrointestinal series, or UGI series (or barium swallow) Urinalysis Ventilation-perfusion (or "V-Q" scan) Video-assisted thoracic surgery Wire localization biopsy of the breast Brain and Nervous System Carotid ultrasound (carotid doppler) Electromyography and nerve conduction studies Lumbar puncture (or spinal tap) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine Spinal tap (or lumbar puncture) Skin, Hair, Nails Skin biopsy Eyes Fluorescein angiography (for diabetic retinopathy) Snellen test for visual acuity Tonometry Back to top > Ears, Nose, and Throat Rapid strep test Scratch test for allergies Throat culture Bones, Joints, and Muscles Bone density test for osteoporosis Bone scan Computed tomography (CT) for back problems Myelography Back x-rays (spine x-rays) Lungs Bronchoscopy Chest x-ray Mediastinoscopy Oxygen saturation test Pleural fluid sampling (or thoracentesis) Pulmonary angiogram Pulmonary function testing Sputum evaluation (and sputum induction) Thoracentesis (or pleural fluid sampling) Tuberculosis (TB) skin test Video-assisted thoracic surgery Ventilation-perfusion (or "V-Q" scan) Heart, Blood Vessels, and Circulation Arterial blood flow studies of the legs Cardiac catheterization Echocardiogram Electrocardiogram Electrophysiological (EP) testing of the heart Exercise stress test Holter monitor Venous ultrasound of the legs Back to top > Blood Disorders Bone marrow biopsy Lymph node biopsy Digestive System Viewing the upper gastrointestinal tract: Abdominal CT (computed tomography) scan Barium swallow (or upper gastrointestinal series or "upper GI series") Fecal occult blood (FOB) test Upper endoscopy (or esophagogastroduodenoscopy or "EGD") Upper gastrointestinal or upper GI series, (also called barium swallow) Viewing the liver, pancreas, gallbladder and bile ducts: Abdominal ultrasound Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) Liver biopsy Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTCA) Viewing the colon: Anoscopy Barium enema Colonoscopy Flexible sigmoidoscopy Urinary System Cystourethrogram Cystoscopy Intravenous pyelogram Kidney biopsy Radionuclide scan of the kidneys Urinalysis Hormonal Disorders Thyroid Scan Back to top > Infertility, Pregnancy, and Childbirth Infertility testing: Endometrial biopsy Hysterosalpingogram Hysteroscopy Laparoscopy Pelvic ultrasound and transvaginal ultrasound Prenatal testing: Amniocentesis Chorionic villus sampling Enhanced alpha fetoprotein test (or "triple screen test") Fetal ultrasound Triple screen test (or enhanced alpha fetoprotein test) Health of Women Tests for evaluating breast lumps: Breast ultrasound Excisional biopsy of the breast Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) of the breast Mammogram Stereotactic biopsy of the breast (breast core biopsy) Wire localization biopsy of the breast Tests women may have: Colposcopy and cervical biopsy Endometrial biopsy Hysteroscopy Mammogram Pap smear Testing for vaginitis (yeast infections, trichomonas, and gardnerella) Health of Men PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test Transrectal ultrasound and biopsy of the prostate Back to top >