The Advantages of Diagnostic Testing at Abraham Family Medicine
Before medical treatment can begin, a diagnosis must be made. Here at Abraham Family Medicine, our healthcare providers use many tools to help accurately diagnose a wide variety of issues and conditions that can affect our patient’s health and wellness. This includes offering in-office diagnostic testing to help improve patient care by identifying potential health issues as quickly as possible.
Dr. Abraham and our entire medical staff utilize diagnostic testing to confirm the occurrence of a specific disease or medical condition based on a patient’s symptoms as well as results from other medical tests. Diagnostic testing is critical to how we operate during every step of our evaluation process including diagnosing, monitoring, screening, and prognosis. To help better understand how diagnostic testing at Abraham Family Medicine can assist our patients, continue reading for information on the diagnostic tests that we are able to perform.
Aorta Ultrasound
Also known as an aortascan, an aorta ultrasound is a non-invasive diagnostic test that uses high-frequency sound waves to image the main blood vessel leading away from the heart known as the aorta. This test is used to help detect the presence of an aortic aneurysm.
Echocardiograms
Echocardiogram tests use images derived from sound waves to help us examine the beating and pumping of blood within the heart. These tests are used to identify abnormalities of the heart, including detecting heart defects in unborn children.
Electrocardiograms (EKGs)
EKGs are used to examine the patterns and heartbeats. Doing so allows us to detect and diagnose potential underlying heart conditions such as arrhythmias, heart defects, coronary artery disease, and heart attacks.
Pulmonary Function Testing
Pulmonary function tests are administered to measure the ability of a person’s lungs to take in and circulate oxygen throughout the body. This kind of test may be used to diagnose certain lung diseases.
Retinal Scans
We utilize retinal scanning to help rule out diabetic retinopathy in patients with diabetes. If left undetected and untreated, this condition can lead to blindness.
Screening Mammograms
We perform screening mammograms to detect potential breast cancers in female patients. The test allows us to produce images of each breast from multiple angles to gain a clearer picture of a patient’s breast health.
Ultrasounds
Ultrasounds use high-frequency sound waves to create images that depict the inside of a person’s body. Although they are most commonly used to monitor a pregnant woman’s fetus, ultrasound technology can also help diagnose various medical conditions such as gallbladder disease, certain types of cancer, and diseases of the prostate. This includes Carotid Ultrasounds that use sound waves to examine the blood flow through the carotid arteries to detect a patient’s risk of experiencing a stroke. We also use this technology to perform abdominal and pelvic sonograms to detect abnormalities (including tumors) within internal organs like the liver, kidneys, and spleen.
Vascular Doppler Studies
Vascular Doppler Studies use similar technology as ultrasounds to monitor the flow of blood through blood vessels. This test can help diagnose conditions such as blood clots, faulty valves in leg veins, circulation issues, and other conditions that a traditional ultrasound may not be able to detect.
X-Rays
X-rays utilize electromagnetic waves to capture images of a person’s skeletal system. Our providers use x-rays most often to diagnose bone fractures, however, they can also assist us in diagnosing pneumonia or breast cancer.
When paired with the skill and knowledge that our experienced healthcare providers possess, diagnostic testing can be an integral in helping our patients achieve long-term health and wellness. For more information on diagnostic testing or if you would like to schedule an appointment, please contact Abraham Family Medicine today. We offer a wide variety of general healthcare services for people of all ages at our Snellville office, located very close to Grayson, Dacula, and Lilburn.
