At the beginning of the visit, the gastroenterologist conducts an interview with the patient in order to diagnose the disease and select the appropriate treatment method. During the interview, the doctor may ask about the frequency of bowel movements, the symptoms you experience, medications that the patient takes regularly and about the daily diet
- If there are symptoms that affect the lower digestive tract or stomach, the doctor performs an abdominal examination.
- This test involves applying pressure to the appropriate areas of the patient’s abdomen where the patient feels pain.
Most often, however, this type of examination is not sufficient, so the gastroenterologist orders other tests to accurately diagnose the disease. Most often these are the usual blood tests. In addition, the doctor orders abdominal examinations, such as ultrasound or X-ray with contrast. Sometimes the patient also needs to undergo gastroscopy or colonoscopy. In rare cases, MRI or computed tomography is performed.