Thrush is clinically diagnosed by a physician or dentist when the characteristic-looking white patches are found in the mouth or throat.
Thrush that extends into the esophagus can
be serious. To help diagnose this condition, your doctor may ask you to have
one or both of these tests:
Throat culture
In this procedure, the back of your throat
is swabbed with sterile cotton. Then the tissue sample is cultured on a special
medium to help determine which bacteria or fungi, if any, are causing your
symptoms.
Endoscopic exam
In this procedure, your doctor examines
your esophagus, stomach and upper part of your small intestine (duodenum) using
a lighted, flexible tube with a camera on the tip (endoscope).
