Ferri's Best Test: A Practical Guide to Clinical Laboratory Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging

This book is intended to be a practical and concise guide to clinical laboratory medicine
and diagnostic imaging. It is designed for use by medical students, interns, residents,
practicing physicians, and other health care personnel who deal with laboratory
testing and diagnostic imaging in their daily work.
The aim of this book is to be a practical reference for ordering tests, whether they
are laboratory tests or diagnostic imaging studies. As such, it is unique in medical publishing.
This manual is divided into three main sections: clinical laboratory testing,
diagnostic imaging, and diagnostic algorithms. With the fifth edition, appendixes have
been expanded to include electrocardiography and pulmonary function testing.
I hope that this unique approach will simplify the diagnostic testing labyrinth and
lead the readers of this manual to choose the best test to complement their clinical
skills. However, it is important to remember that laboratory tests and x-rays do not
make diagnoses—doctors and health care professionals do. As such, any laboratory or
radiographic results should be integrated with the complete clinical picture to arrive
at a diagnosis.