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The Neglected Power of Simple Tests

Arch Intern Med. 2004;164:2198-2200.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

INTRODUCTION

Difficult diagnoses are a common challenge for primary care and hospital physicians alike. Physicians often respond to these cases by ordering an extensive battery of tests and imaging studies.¹ Results may be diagnostic, but sometimes leading clues are overlooked or considered unimportant; and often, incidental findings beget more unnecessary testing. This process is not only costly and time-consuming but may actually endanger the patient.² The following case histories emphasize an alternative approach.

CASE 1

A 60-year-old man with a persistent low-grade fever and a bicuspid aortic valve was evaluated for possible infective endocarditis. Since the results of blood and serologic tests, blood cultures, and transesophageal echocardiography were normal, endocarditis was ruled out, and an extensive search was continued. Only 6 months later, a simple question by a medical student about animal contact revealed that the patient, who had initially denied owning pets, was regularly feeding cats in his backyard. The association between . . . [Full Text of this Article]

CASE 2

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CASE 5

COMMENT

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Ami Schattner, MD

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ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The MEDLINE Search as a Diagnostic Maneuver
Packer
Arch Intern Med 2005;165:703-704.
FULL TEXT