

![]() |
For any patient with meningitis, it is important to perform a lumbar puncture (" spinal tap "), in which spinal fluid (known as cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF) is collected for testing.
|
|
During a physical examination, a health care provider studies a patient's body to determine the presence or absence of physical problems. A typical physical examination includes: Inspection (looking at the body; Palpation (feeling the body with ha...
|
|
The health status of populations and of individuals is assessed for many reasons. Assessing needs for care helps guide the allocation of resources— diagnostic assessments guide treatment, prognostic assessments contribute to planning, and assessin...
|
|
|
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is a laboratory test to examine a sample of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. This fluid is a clear, watery liquid that protects the central nervous system from injury and cushions it from the surr...
|
|
|
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is a set of laboratory tests that examine a sample of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. This fluid is an ultrafiltrate of plasma. Plasma is the liquid portion of blood. CSF is clear and colorless. ...
|
|
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is a set of laboratory tests that examine a sample of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord. This fluid is an ultrafiltrate of plasma. It is clear and colorless. It contains glucose, electrolytes, amino...
|
![]() |
A complete blood count (CBC) test measures the following: The number of red blood cells (RBCs; The number of white blood cells (WBCs; The total amount of hemoglobin in the blood; The fraction of the blood composed of red blood cells (hematocrit; T...
|
|
|
One of the most commonly ordered clinical laboratory tests, a blood count, also called a complete blood count (CBC), is a basic evaluation of the cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets) suspended in the liquid part of the blood (...
|
|
|
A complete blood count (CBC) is a series of tests used to evaluate the composition and concentration of the cellular components of blood. It consists of the following tests: red blood cell (RBC) count, white blood cell (WBC) count, and platelet co...
|
|
The clinical laboratory test that evaluates the three main cellular components of peripheral blood (red cells, white cells, and platelets) is called the "complete blood count" (CBC). It is used commonly to assess whether a patient is anemic (low r...
|
|
A complete blood count (CBC) is a series of tests used to evaluate the composition and concentration of the cellular components of blood. It consists of the following tests: red blood cell (RBC) count, white blood cell (WBC) count, and platelet co...
|
![]() |
A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) smear is a microscopic examination of the clear fluid that moves in the space surrounding the spinal cord and brain. CSF protects the brain and spinal cord from injury.
|
|
The Gram stain test is the most extensively performed procedure in diagnostic microbiology. It is used to classify bacteria as either gram-positive or gram-negative based upon their ability to retain the crystal violet stain following decolorizati...
|
|
A cranial computed tomography (CT) scan is an imaging method that uses x-rays to create cross-sectional pictures of the head, including the skull, brain, eye sockets, and sinuses. See: Computed tomography
|
|
A blood culture is a laboratory test to check for bacteria or other microorganisms in a blood sample. Most cultures check for bacteria. A culture may be done using a sample of blood, tissue, stool, urine, or other fluid from the body. See also: Br...
|
|
A blood culture is done when a person has symptoms of a blood infection, also called bacteremia . Blood is drawn from the person one or more times and is tested in a laboratory to find and identify any microorganism present and growing in the bloo...
|
|
A blood culture is a lab test designed to detect the presence of bacteria , yeast, or fungi in the bloodstream. A routine blood culture involves injecting a sample of the patient's blood into two bottles of sterile nutrient broth (one for aerobes ...
|
|
Fever evaluation tests, better known as febrile agglutinins tests, are performed to detect the presence of antibodies in the blood that are sensitive to temperature changes. Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system in response to spec...
|
![]() |
A computed tomography (CT) scan is an imaging method that uses x-rays to create cross-sectional pictures of the body. See also: Cranial CT scan; Lumbosacral spine CT scan; Orbit CT scan; Thoracic CT scan.
|
|
|
Computed tomography (also known as CT, CT scan, CAT, or computerized axial tomography) scans use x rays to produce precise cross-sectional images of anatomical structures.
|
|
|
Computed tomography (CT) scanning is a valuable diagnostic tool that provides physicians with views of internal body structures. During a CT scan, multiple x rays are passed through the body, producing cross-sectional images, or "slices, " on a ca...
|
|
|
Computed tomography (CT), formerly referred to as computerized axial tomography (CAT), is a common diagnostic imaging procedure that uses x rays to generate images (slices) of the anatomy.
|
|
|
Computed tomography (CT) scans are completed with the use of a 360-degree x-ray beam and computer production of images. These scans allow for cross-sectional views of body organs and tissues.
|
|
|
Computed tomography scanning, also called CT scan, CAT scan, or computerized axial tomography, is a diagnostic tool that provides views of internal body structures using x rays. In the field of mental health, a CT scan may be used when a patient s...
|


