DEAR DOCTOR K: Last week I received the results of some recent blood work. A few of my values fell just outside the normal range. My doctor says it’s fine, but I’m still worried. Do I need to be? DEAR ...

I have an extra vein into my heart that, in most people, disappears during embryonic development. My eyeballs are shaped more like lemons than like baseballs. And I once woke up after a foot surgery ...

A Papanicolaou test, commonly called a Pap smear, tests for abnormal cells in your cervix — the area connecting the uterus to the vagina — and determines if these cells may be precancerous (called ...

If you are the owner of a vagina and vulva, chances are you’re familiar with the routine Pap test, also known as a Pap smear. Pap test results are either normal or abnormal, depending on whether ...

New research emphasizes the importance of scheduling a colonoscopy as soon as possible after an abnormal stool blood test. Patients who received colonoscopies more than 13 months after abnormal tests ...

It is possible to have an abnormal smear but a normal colposcopy result. This can happen when someone has a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection but no precancerous mutations in the cervix. Cervical ...

Patients who experience chest pain and have abnormal results on a cardiac stress test but who do not have blocked arteries often experience changes in their symptoms and stress test results over time, ...

This month’s case addresses the issues of when to act on abnormal test results. This month’s case addresses the issues of when to act on abnormal test results, and when to inform patients about such ...