Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Slideshow Pictures Digestive Disease Myths Slideshow Pictures Diverticulitis (Diverticulosis) Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP

John P. Cunha, DO, is a U.S. board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician. Dr. Cunha's educational background includes a BS in Biology from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a DO from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, MO. He completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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Medical Editor:

Bhupinder Anand, MD

Irritable Bowel Syndrome Diagnosis

Irritable bowel syndrome can be a very difficult diagnosis to make. IBS is called a diagnosis of exclusion, which means a doctor considers many other alternatives first, performing tests to rule out other medical problems. Some of these tests may include laboratory studies, imaging studies (such as a CT scan or small intestinal X-rays), or a lower GI endoscopy (colonoscopy). An endoscopy is a procedure in which a flexible tube with a tiny camera on one end is passed into the GI tract while the patient is under conscious sedation.

• A combination of history, physical examination, and selected tests are used to help diagnose irritable bowel syndrome.
  
  
• No single blood test or x-ray study confirms a diagnosis of IBS.