A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:
- General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; further:
- Inspection (viewing).
- Skin and mucous membranes
- Neck vein congestion?
- Central cyanosis? (bluish discoloration of skin and central mucous membranes, e.g., tongue).
- Abdomen (abdomen)
- Shape of the abdomen?
- Skin color? Skin texture?
- Efflorescences (skin changes)?
- Pulsations? Bowel movements?
- Visible vessels?
- Scars? Hernias (fractures)?
- Extremities (palpation (feeling) of peripheral pulses, looking for edema/water retention).
- Auscultation (listening) of the heart and central arteries (flow sounds?).
- Auscultation of the lungs
- Examination of the abdomen
- Auscultation of the abdomen [vascular or stenotic sounds?
- Palpation of abdomen (abdomen) (tenderness?, tapping pain?, coughing pain?, guarding?, hernial orifices?, renal bearing knock?)
- Inspection (viewing).
- Neurological examination – including testing of reflexes (especially the biceps tendon reflex (BSR), triceps tendon reflex (TSR), radius periosteal reflex (RPR), patellar tendon reflex (PSR) and the Achilles tendon reflex (ASR, also triceps surae reflex)), checking sensitivity and motor function [due topossible symptoms:
- Fleeting paralysis
- Frequent headaches
- Dizzy spells
- Unexplained falls
- Temporary visual and speech disturbances]
- Health check
Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.
