287 articles
Routine Diagnostic Tests
Routine diagnostic tests (MeSH D003955): laboratory tests and x-rays performed on all individuals in a specified situation, such as hospital admission or preoperative evaluation; distinguished from screening, with evidence on benefits, harms, and overuse.
Saliva sampling
Saliva sampling is a noninvasive specimen-collection method that analyzes oral fluid for hormones, antibodies, drugs, and nucleic acids, used in HIV testing, drug screening, and genomic analysis.
Saliva testing
Saliva testing analyzes saliva or oral fluid for hormones, drugs, antibodies, and nucleic acids, serving as a noninvasive alternative to blood testing in endocrinology, toxicology, and oncology.
Salivary diagnostics
Salivary diagnostics is a clinical approach measuring biomarkers in saliva, including hormones, cytokines, antibodies, and nucleic acids, to detect and monitor oral and systemic disease without a blood draw.
SEREX
SEREX (serological analysis of recombinant cDNA expression libraries) is a tumor immunology method that screens tumor cDNA expression libraries with patient serum to identify tumor antigens like NY-ESO-1.
Serologic tests
Serologic tests, also called serological tests, are blood-based laboratory tests that detect antibodies or antigens in serum to diagnose infections, check immune status after vaccination, and identify autoimmune disease.
Serological testing
Serological testing detects antibodies or antigens in blood serum to diagnose infection, establish immune status, or document exposure, using methods such as ELISA, agglutination, and complement fixation.
Serology
Serology: laboratory study of blood serum antibodies to diagnose past infection, guide vaccination, and screen blood; includes IgM/IgG tests, immunoassays, and prevalence-dependent predictive values.
Serum Bactericidal Test
Serum Bactericidal Test (Schlichter test, SBT): broth dilution assay measuring the highest dilution of a patient's antibiotic-treated serum that kills over 99.9% of the infecting organism; used to monitor endocarditis and osteomyelitis therapy.
Serum-ascites albumin gradient
Serum-ascites albumin gradient (SAAG), serum albumin minus ascitic fluid albumin; a laboratory test for ascites where ≥1.1 g/dL indicates portal hypertension and <1.1 g/dL suggests malignancy, tuberculosis, or other causes.
Sex Determination Analysis
Sex Determination Analysis (MeSH D012732): validating an individual's sex by gonadal inspection or genetic tests. Covers karyotype, QFPCR, SRY testing in DSD care, prenatal screening, forensic amelogenin/SRY methods, and sports eligibility testing.
SMART study
SMART study (SNP-based Microdeletion and Aneuploidy RegisTry, NCT02381457): Natera-funded, 21-center prospective registry of over 20,000 pregnancies evaluating SNP-based cfDNA screening; reported 83.3% sensitivity and 52.6% PPV for 22q11.2 deletion syndrome with genetic confirmation of all samples.
Smear examination
A smear examination is a diagnostic method in which cells or microorganisms from a specimen are fixed, stained, and examined under a microscope, mainly for tuberculosis and malaria.
Smear microscopy
Smear microscopy is the light-microscopic examination of stained smears, most often sputum, to detect acid-fast bacilli such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis; it remains the primary TB diagnostic in many high-burden settings.
Somatic mutation analysis
Somatic mutation analysis is the sequencing of tumor DNA to identify acquired, non-inherited mutations for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted therapy selection, typically by paired tumor-normal testing.
Sputum culture
A sputum culture is a laboratory test that grows mucus coughed up from the lungs to identify bacteria or fungi causing pneumonia, tuberculosis, or bronchiectasis infections.
Sputum cytology
Sputum cytology is a noninvasive, inexpensive diagnostic test that examines cells from coughed-up sputum under the microscope to detect lung cancer, though it is no longer recommended for screening.
Step nucleic acid amplification test
Step nucleic acid amplification test (sNAAT) is a proposed label for an isothermal nucleic acid amplification test detecting pathogen genomes at one constant temperature, without PCR's thermal cycling.
Stool culture
Stool culture is a microbiological test that grows bacteria from fecal specimens to identify the pathogens causing bacterial gastroenteritis, including Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter, and E. coli O157:H7.
Stool DNA test
A stool DNA test is an at-home colorectal cancer screening test that detects DNA shed from tumors into stool, marketed as Cologuard and FDA approved in 2014.
Surveillance culture
A surveillance culture is a microbiology test that detects colonization by multidrug-resistant organisms such as MRSA, VRE, and Candida auris in patients without infection signs, guiding isolation and decolonization.
Sweat test
The sweat test is a diagnostic procedure that measures chloride concentration in stimulated sweat to diagnose cystic fibrosis; a chloride level of 60 mmol/L or above supports the diagnosis.
Synovial fluid analysis
Synovial fluid analysis is the laboratory examination of fluid aspirated from a joint, covering cell counts, crystals, and cultures to diagnose gout, pseudogout, and septic arthritis.
TERT promoter mutation analysis
TERT promoter mutation analysis is a molecular pathology test detecting C228T and C250T mutations to diagnose and stratify cancers, especially gliomas, bladder cancers, and melanomas.
Therapeutic drug monitoring
Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is the measurement of drug concentrations in blood, with pharmacological interpretation, to individualize and adjust dosing for drugs with narrow therapeutic windows.
Throat culture
A throat culture is a diagnostic test that grows bacteria from a throat swab on blood agar; it is the gold standard for diagnosing strep throat, with results in 24 to 48 hours.
Thrombin generation assay
The thrombin generation assay (TGA) is a laboratory hemostasis test measuring how much thrombin plasma produces over time after coagulation is triggered, assessing both bleeding and clotting risk.
Thrombin time
The thrombin time (TT), or thrombin clotting time, is a coagulation blood test measuring how quickly fibrin clots form after thrombin is added to plasma.
Thromboelastometry
Thromboelastometry is a point-of-care viscoelastic test that measures clot formation and strength in whole blood, guiding transfusion and anticoagulant therapy in trauma, cardiac surgery, and obstetric bleeding.
Transcription-mediated amplification
Transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) is an isothermal nucleic acid amplification method that uses two enzymes to amplify RNA or DNA targets for pathogen detection and blood screening.