Procedures
At Allergy, Asthma, and Sinus Center, P.C., we perform following procedures:
Prick skin test for a variety of allergic conditions
Skin prick testing or SPT demonstrates an allergic response to a specific allergen. In conjunction with an allergy focused history, SPT can help to confirm the presence of an allergy to either a food or inhaled substance (allergen).
Intradermal Skin test
When you have intradermal skin testing done, a small amount of each thing you may be allergic to (allergen) is injected under the skin. If you are allergic to an allergen, you will get a bump and redness where the allergen was injected. After a short time, each skin test reaction is measured for swelling and redness. A large enough skin reaction is a positive skin test.
Pulmonary function tests
PFT is called pulmonary function test and is comprised of many tests, most important of them is spirometry. Other test that are done sometimes includes plethysomography, thoracic gas volume, diffusion lung capacity, pulse oximetry, arterial blood gas (ABG) etc.
Methacholine challenge Test
Methacholine Challenge Test is designed to see if the patient’s bronchial tubes are unusually sensitive to a drug called methacholine.
Exhaled nitric oxide
An exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) test can help with the diagnosis and treatment of asthma. It measures the level of nitric oxide gas in an exhaled sample of your breath. This sample is collected by having you breathe into the mouthpiece of a machine that performs the measurement.
Patch tests
Patch testing is designed for testing for substances that come in contact with skin and cause trouble. Patch testing is different than prick skin test as this is used to detect different kind of allergies. Patch tests identifies allergen specific T-lymphocytes as opposed to allergen specific antibodies. The way patch test is done is different and more time consuming.
Oral food challenges
Oral food challenges generally consist of a gradual feeding of the test food under close observation. The test usually results in a definitive conclusion about whether the food was tolerated.
Tympanogram
Tympanogram is a test to measure the mobility of the eardrum. It is useful in diagnosing fluid in the middle ear as well as loss of middle ear pressure.