People suffering from any of the symptoms related to nasal polyps should visit their physician or an ENT specialist for an examination. The doctor will ask about your medical history and recommend that you visit a radiologist for an x-ray or a C.T/C.A.T (Computerized Axial Tomography) scan if he suspects nasal polyps or any mass forming in the nasal passages and sinus cavities.

A C.T scan is a painless procedure performed to help the doctor determine the correct diagnosis and treatment for nasal polyps and nasal growths. For this procedure you will be instructed to lie on the examination table and be strapped in while being scanned. Some patients have an injection administered to them; containing a substance that will make the tissue in the sinuses transparent on the x-ray images.

The table, upon which you are strapped will slide once quickly through the scanner. This will tell the CT scan where it should begin scanning. After a while, for the second time, the table slowly slides through, beginning the actual C.T scan.
The Computerized tomography scan determines the size and exact position of polyps in your nose and sinus cavities. The actual scan takes no longer than a minute and the whole procedure is done in approximately forty five minutes.


After the C.T scan some doctors may want to perform a biopsy if nessesary. The doctor will remove a sample of tissue/fluid/the nasal polyp to examine it under a microscope. These results will confirm if the growth is a nasal polyp, wart, tumor or a cancerous growth so that appropriate action can be taken.

• Doctors recommend that children diagnosed with nasal polyps undergo a sweat test for cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis is an inherited condition that affects certain glands causing these glands to produce thick, sticky mucus, and mainly affects the lungs and digestive tract.
  
  A clear solution that has no smell is applied to the skin causing the child to sweat. An absorbent material is than placed on the skin to collect the sweat which will be used to measure the amount of sodium and chloride in your child's perspiration. Two or more tests are done; each test completed in less than sixty minutes and compared to each other to achieve an average result.
  
  
• Children who have both nasal polyps and hay fever should have an allergy skin test done. The doctor will apply an allergen (dust, pollen, grass, dander, mold or mildew) to the child's skin and wait for an allergic reaction. This test is not uncomfortable at all and can be completed in just over 25 minutes. From the symptoms produced (if there are any) the doctor will gather important information about any allergic sensitivity the child may have and formulate a unique treatment plan for that child. Allergen avoidance, immunotherapy or certain medications may be part of the treatment plan.