Mesothelioma Diagnosis - Get Straight Facts

Making a mesothelioma diagnosis is hard because of the fact that the symptoms of mesothelioma are also similar to the symptoms of other diseases or conditions. A diagnosis for a mesothelioma suspect begins with the reviewing of the said person's medical history. If the patient have a history of being exposed to asbestos, chances are high that the person has mesothelioma.
After the review of the person's medical history, a physical examination will be executed. The patient will also undergo lung function tests and a chest X-ray. The chest X-ray is necessary since it will be able to reveal if the patient is experiencing pleural thickening. Pleural thickening usually happens when a person has been exposed to asbestos. Aside from the chest X-ray, the patient will also be subjected to a computed tomography (CT or CAT scan).
The CAT scan and the chest X-ray are just some of the ways on how the physician will be able to make a mesothelioma diagnosis. Aside from the results of these tests, the physician also needs to know if there is a large amount of fluid. If this fluid will be aspirated with the use of a syringe, cytology may just be able to detect the presence of abnormal cells. If the result will show that there is an absence of malignant cells, it does not necessarily mean that the patient does not have mesothelioma. If, on the other hand, the cytology is positive and there is something suspicious, the diagnosis needs to be confirmed through a biopsy.
There are several ways on how a biopsy can be carried out so that one can come up with a mesothelioma diagnosis. The ways will just depend upon the area where the abnormal cells are located. If the abnormal cells or tumor are located in the chest, a thoracoscopy may be performed so that the doctor can take tissue samples. If the area where the abdominal cells can be located is the abdominal area, laparoscopy may be performed by inserting an instrument into the abdominal cavity. If the procedures of thorascopy and laparoscopy would not yield the amount of the necessary tissue, the doctor will have to perform more extensive diagnostic surgery on the patient.