Week 5- Endocrine Diagnostics Flashcards
What is a dynamic blood test?
A blood test testing for hormonal response to a chemical stimulant eg give ACTH and see if cortisol levels rise after a while- do they rise enough, do they rise at all?
What is a static blood test?
A blood test showing a snapshot of hormones present when the blood test was taken
What is a pre test probability?
The probability that you think a patient has a condition before you order diagnostic tests
What are some things to be weary of when carrying out blood tests/ looking at results?
When was the test done? If the hormone has a diurnal release, it should be done in the morning, doing it at another time will show a false low level
Is release pulsar? If yes you could have just caught it on a low pulse or a high pulse giving false results
