Stool Examination Routine (Stool Routine Test)

5g (3g min) stool in a leak-proof screw capped container. Do not send stool specimens in match boxes or absorbant material. Outstation samples not accepted.

Stool Examination Test Overview

A routine stool test is conducted by analyzing the composition of the stool samples for evidence of a disease or condition. The primary objective of the stool examination test is to check for pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites in the stool that can make you sick.

Stool routine examination is important to identify various gastrointestinal conditions like anal fissures, colon polyps, hemorrhoids, inflammatory bowel syndrome, and exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Additionally, through this test, non-GI conditions like anemia and stomach ulcers can also be identified. Routine stool checks also play an important role in detecting and screening colorectal cancer, which can help doctors in their diagnosis.      

When is a stool examination test prescribed?

A routine examination of the stool is necessary for doctors to distinguish whether patients are experiencing gastrointestinal issues or not. The purpose of a stool examination is to check your body for possible problems with the gastrointestinal (GI) system. Below are some symptoms that would encourage doctors to recommend a stool routine test:

• Having blood in your stool repeatedly

• Having mucus from excess fat in your stool

• Fever for more than three days.

• Symptoms of diarrhoea for patients that have lasted over three days.

• Stomach pain that is difficult to bear and cramps.

• Vomiting and a feeling of nausea lasting more than three days.

Components of the Stool Examination Test

A routine stool test checks for specific things in a patient’s sample, as mentioned below. If the sample flags any of the individual components that have been tested, it is reported as positive or negative otherwise. Here’s a brief overview of the different components of the test:

• The colour of the sample

• Consistency

• pH of the sample

• Hidden occult or blood

• Amount

• Shape

• Odour

• Presence of mucus

• Microscopic examination of different cells in the stool

Procedure and Prerequisites

Before a routine stool examination test, the doctor recommends for the patient’s clinical history and any medications taken by the patient that can interfere ‘with the results. Additionally, avoiding certain foods for 2-3 days prior to the sample collection is recommended. Test facilities provide all the components you need to collect the required stool sample. Ideally, you must try to collect the sample with as little contamination as possible.

• This is why the facilities recommend not letting the stool sample touch the inside of the toilet bowl, as it will contaminate the sample.

• Once the sample is collected, it is sent over to the lab for testing based on the prescribed method of stool examination.

• Avoid mixing urine with the stool.

• As a prerequisite for a stool routine test, it is requested of patients to secure the sample in a leak-proof screw cap container.

• The minimum weight of the sample must be at least 3 grams, with 5 grams being the ideal required sample weight.

• It is also recommended to not send samples in absorbent materials like match boxes.

Conclusion:

It should be known that routine stool examinations give physicians very useful information, which can be important in diagnosing GI diseases and their treatment. If the results are negative, that means it's normal. If it is positive, it means the stool is infected with some germs, and further diagnosis needs to be done. The doctor will prescribe the medicines and treatment accordingly.