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Procedures & Tests Beginning With B
15 procedures and tests in this guide begin with the letter B. Every name links to a plain-language page covering what the procedure is, how to prepare, what happens during it, and what recovery involves.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X
| Procedure / test | Category | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Bariatric surgery (gastric bypass / sleeve gastrectomy) | General Surgery | Bariatric surgery changes the stomach (and sometimes the bowel) to help people with severe obesity lose substantial weight and improve related conditions such as type 2 diabetes. The main operations are sleeve gastrectomy (removing most of the stomach, leaving a narrow tube) and gastric bypass (creating a small pouch joined directly to the small bowel). |
| Barium enema | Digestive | A barium enema is an X-ray examination of the large bowel in which barium liquid is passed into the bowel through a small tube in the back passage, coating the lining so its shape and any abnormalities show on X-rays. CT colonography has replaced it in many centres. |
| Barium swallow and meal | Imaging & Scans | A barium swallow or barium meal is an X-ray examination in which you drink a white, chalky liquid containing barium so the gullet, stomach and upper bowel show up clearly on moving X-ray pictures (fluoroscopy). |
| Bartholin's cyst/abscess treatment (marsupialisation) | Women's Health | The Bartholin's glands sit at the vaginal opening and can block, forming a cyst or a painful abscess. Treatment ranges from a small balloon catheter (Word catheter) that keeps a new opening draining, to marsupialisation — a minor operation creating a permanent small opening so fluid can drain. |
| Bladder stone removal (cystolitholapaxy) | Urology | Bladder stones are removed by passing a telescope through the urine tube and breaking the stone with laser or mechanical energy, then washing out the fragments (cystolitholapaxy). Very large stones may need a small open or keyhole operation through the lower abdomen. |
| Blood tests (venepuncture) — what to expect | Biopsies & Lab Tests | A blood test draws blood from a vein, usually in the elbow crease, into labelled tubes for laboratory analysis — covering blood counts, kidney and liver chemistry, hormones, infections, immune markers and many more, depending on what your clinician requested. |
| Bone density screening decisions (who needs DEXA) | Screening | Osteoporosis screening is not a universal programme; instead, fracture risk is assessed clinically (for example with the FRAX tool, combining age, weight, previous fractures, steroids, smoking, alcohol and family history) and a DEXA scan is arranged when the result would change treatment decisions. |
| Bone marrow biopsy | Biopsies & Lab Tests | A bone marrow biopsy samples the marrow — usually from the back of the pelvis — in two parts: aspiration (liquid marrow drawn out) and trephine (a small core of bone and marrow). The samples reveal how blood cells are being made and whether abnormal cells are present. |
| Botox for chronic migraine | Minor Procedures & Pain | Botulinum toxin (Botox) is licensed for preventing chronic migraine in adults — meaning headaches on 15 or more days a month, with at least eight being migraine days — when other preventives have not worked or are not tolerated. It is given as a series of small injections in the head and neck every 12 weeks. |
| Botulinum toxin injections for spasticity and dystonia | Brain & Nerves | Botulinum toxin injections temporarily weaken overactive muscles. In neurology they are used for spasticity (stiffness after stroke, in multiple sclerosis or cerebral palsy) and dystonia (involuntary muscle contractions, for example in the neck — cervical dystonia — eyelids or writer's cramp), and also for chronic migraine in specialist clinics following defined criteria. |
| Bowel cancer screening (FIT kit) | Screening | The bowel screening programme sends a FIT kit to your home: you collect a tiny sample of stool with the provided stick, post it to the laboratory, and the test measures invisible blood (human haemoglobin) in the sample. Programmes typically invite adults from their 50s to mid-70s every two years (ages vary by country and are expanding). |
| Breast core biopsy | Biopsies & Lab Tests | A breast core biopsy takes small cylinders of breast tissue with a spring-loaded needle under ultrasound (or X-ray/stereotactic or MRI) guidance, to diagnose lumps, areas of distortion and microcalcifications found on examination or screening. |
| Breast ultrasound | Imaging & Scans | A breast ultrasound uses sound waves to picture breast tissue. It is particularly good at telling whether a lump is fluid-filled (a cyst) or solid, and is often the first imaging test for breast symptoms in younger women. |
| Bronchoscopy | Lungs & Breathing | Bronchoscopy passes a thin, flexible camera through the nose or mouth into the airways to inspect them directly, wash out samples (lavage), brush or biopsy tissue, and sometimes treat problems such as removing a foreign body or controlling bleeding. |
| Bunion surgery (hallux valgus correction) | Bones, Joints & Spine | Bunion surgery realigns the big toe joint by cutting and repositioning the bone (osteotomy), fixed with small screws, and balancing the soft tissues, to correct the bunion (hallux valgus) deformity. |
Please note: This page is educational information about a medical procedure or test. It does not replace the instructions of your own care team, who know your situation and whose preparation, fasting and medication advice you should follow if it differs from anything here. If you have symptoms that worry you, or an appointment you do not understand, contact your clinical team.