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, mucous membranes, and sclerae (white part of the eye) [skin/mucous membrane pallor, café au lait-colored skin, aphthae on the oral mucosa, rhagades of the corners of the mouth (cracks in the corners of the mouth), brittle nails, koilonychia (bulging of the fingernails), dry skin]
- Auscultation (listening) of the heart [due topossible sequelae: cardiovascular dysfunction (impaired performance of the cardiovascular system)].
- Inspection (viewing).
- Examination of the abdomen
- Percussion (tapping) of the abdomen
- [Meteorism (flatulence): hypersonoric tapping sound.
- Attenuation of tapping sound due to enlarged liver or spleen, tumor, urinary retention?
- Hepatomegaly (liver enlargement) and/or splenomegaly (spleen enlargement): estimate liver and spleen size]
- Palpation of abdomen and lymph node stations (tenderness?, tapping pain?, coughing pain?, guarding tension?, hernial ports?, renal bearing tapping pain?)
- Percussion (tapping) of the abdomen
- Cancer screening
Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.
