From the Guidelines
A throat evaluation typically involves a physical examination by a healthcare provider who will visually inspect your throat, often using a bright light, and may use a small mirror or a flexible scope to examine your throat and voice box. The provider will look for signs of inflammation, redness, swelling, white patches, or other abnormalities in your throat, tonsils, and surrounding tissues [ 1 ]. They may also feel your neck for swollen lymph nodes. Depending on symptoms, they might perform a throat culture by swabbing the back of your throat to test for strep throat or other infections. In some cases, additional procedures like laryngoscopy (using a flexible or rigid scope to examine your larynx and vocal cords) may be necessary for a more detailed view [ 1 ].
Key Components of a Throat Evaluation
- Visual inspection of the throat using a bright light
- Use of a small mirror or flexible scope to examine the throat and voice box
- Palpation of the neck for swollen lymph nodes
- Throat culture or swabbing for infections
- Discussion of symptoms, duration, and factors that worsen or improve them
Additional Procedures
- Laryngoscopy (flexible or rigid scope) for a more detailed view of the larynx and vocal cords [ 1 ]
- Blood tests for suspected systemic infections
- Video-strobo-laryngoscopy (VSL) for a more detailed functional examination of the larynx, although this technology is not widely available [ 1 ]
From the Research
Throat Evaluation Procedure
The procedure for a throat evaluation typically involves a combination of the following steps:
- A thorough history and examination to determine the cause of the throat complaint 2
- A physical examination of the ears, nose, throat, neck, posture, cranial nerve function, and assessment of the patient's general physical condition 3
- Objective voice assessment and measures, such as strobovideolaryngoscopy, may be included in the evaluation of voice professionals 3
- Diagnostic methods, such as clinical scoring systems, rapid antigen detection tests, throat culture, nucleic acid amplification tests, and machine learning and artificial intelligence, may be used to diagnose Group A β-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) infection 4
Diagnostic Methods
The choice of diagnostic method may depend on the patient's symptoms and medical history. For example:
- Clinical guidelines developed by professional associations can help medical professionals choose among available techniques to diagnose strep throat 4
- Throat culture is a common diagnostic method used to confirm the presence of GABHS infection 4, 5
- Rapid antigen detection tests and nucleic acid amplification tests can provide quick and accurate results 4
Specialized Evaluations
In some cases, specialized evaluations may be necessary, such as: