- Physical Examination
- Surgical Examination
- Ophthalmology
- Clinical Skills
- Orthopedics
- Surgery Videos
- Laparoscopy
- Pediatrics
- Funny Videos
- Cardiothoracic Surgery
- Nursing Videos
- Plastic Surgery
- Otorhinolaryngology
- Histology and Histopathology
- Neurosurgery
- Dermatology
- Pediatric Surgery
- Urology
- Dentistry
- Oncology and Cancers
- Anatomy Videos
- Health and Fitness
- Radiology
- Anaesthesia
- Physical Therapy
- Pharmacology
- Interventional Radiology
- Cardiology
- Endocrinology
- Gynecology
- Emergency Medicine
- Psychiatry and Psychology
- Childbirth Videos
- General Medical Videos
- Nephrology
- Physiology
- Diet and Food Health
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Neurology
- Women Health
- Osteoporosis
- Gastroenterology
- Pulmonology
- Hematology
- Rheumatology
- Toxicology
- Nuclear Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
- Vascular Disease
- Reproductive Health
- Burns and Wound Healing
- Kidney Zone Podcast
- Other
Procedures & Tests Beginning With P
20 procedures and tests in this guide begin with the letter P. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Pacemaker implantation | Heart | A pacemaker is a small electronic device implanted under the skin near the collarbone, with one or more fine leads passed through a vein into the heart. It monitors the heartbeat and delivers tiny painless pulses if the heart beats too slowly. |
| Paracentesis (ascitic tap / drain) | Kidney & Dialysis | Paracentesis removes fluid that has collected in the abdomen (ascites) using a needle or a temporary drain, usually guided by ultrasound. A small sample (diagnostic tap) helps find the cause; a large-volume drain relieves breathlessness and discomfort from a tense abdomen. |
| Parathyroidectomy | General Surgery | A parathyroidectomy removes one or more overactive parathyroid glands — tiny glands behind the thyroid that control blood calcium. Removing the abnormal gland(s) cures most cases of primary hyperparathyroidism. |
| Patch testing (contact allergy) | Biopsies & Lab Tests | Patch testing identifies delayed (type IV) contact allergy — the cause of allergic contact dermatitis from substances such as nickel, fragrances, preservatives, hair dyes and rubber chemicals. Small chambers containing standard allergen series are taped to the back for 48 hours and read over the following days. |
| Peak flow monitoring | Lungs & Breathing | Peak flow monitoring uses a simple hand-held meter to measure your fastest breath out (peak expiratory flow). Recording it morning and evening for two to four weeks shows variability — the hallmark of asthma — and your personal best becomes a reference for action plans. |
| Pelvic ultrasound | Imaging & Scans | A pelvic ultrasound uses sound waves to picture the womb, ovaries and surrounding structures. It may be done through the tummy (transabdominal), through the vagina (transvaginal), or both, depending on what needs to be seen. |
| Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) | Kidney & Dialysis | PCNL removes large or complex kidney stones through a small track made from the skin of the back directly into the kidney. Instruments passed through the track break up and remove the stone under direct vision. |
| Pericardiocentesis | Heart | Pericardiocentesis is a procedure to remove excess fluid from the sac around the heart (pericardium) using a needle and fine drain, usually guided by ultrasound. |
| Peripheral angiography and angioplasty (leg arteries) | Heart | Peripheral angiography takes X-ray pictures of the leg arteries using contrast dye injected through a thin catheter, showing narrowings and blockages. Where suitable, angioplasty treats the narrowing at the same session — a balloon stretches the artery, sometimes leaving a stent to hold it open. |
| Peritoneal dialysis (PD) | Kidney & Dialysis | Peritoneal dialysis uses the lining of your abdomen (peritoneum) as a natural filter. Dialysis fluid is run into the abdomen through a permanent soft tube (catheter), dwells there while waste and fluid pass into it from the blood, and is then drained and replaced. It is done at home — either as manual exchanges through the day (CAPD) or by a machine overnight (APD). |
| PET scan | Imaging & Scans | A PET (positron emission tomography) scan uses a small amount of a radioactive tracer, usually a form of sugar, to show how active tissues are. It is usually combined with a CT scan in the same machine (PET-CT). |
| Pilonidal sinus surgery | General Surgery | Pilonidal surgery treats a pilonidal sinus — a small tunnel or pit in the skin at the top of the buttock crease that traps hair and debris and repeatedly becomes infected or forms abscesses. |
| Plasma exchange (plasmapheresis) | Kidney & Dialysis | Plasma exchange removes the liquid part of your blood (plasma) — which may contain harmful antibodies or proteins — and replaces it with donor plasma or a protein solution (albumin). Blood is drawn through a line, separated by a machine, and the blood cells are returned with the replacement fluid. |
| Pleural biopsy | Lungs & Breathing | A pleural biopsy samples the lining of the chest (pleura) when fluid tests and scans have not explained a pleural effusion or pleural thickening. It can be done with a needle under imaging, or more usually today by medical thoracoscopy — a camera inserted through a small chest cut while you are sedated, allowing directed biopsies and drainage in the same session. |
| Proctoscopy and sigmoidoscopy (rigid) | Endoscopy | Proctoscopy is a short examination of the anal canal and lower rectum using a small, rigid, lighted tube. It is a quick clinic test, distinct from the longer flexible sigmoidoscopy. |
| Prostate biopsy (transperineal / transrectal) | Urology | A prostate biopsy takes small samples of prostate tissue with a needle to check for cancer, guided by ultrasound and often fused with an MRI scan done beforehand to target suspicious areas. The transperineal route passes the needle through the skin between scrotum and anus; the transrectal route passes it through the back passage wall. |
| Prostate massage and pelvic floor physiotherapy | Minor Procedures & Pain | Pelvic floor physiotherapy is a non-surgical treatment for urinary incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse symptoms, chronic pelvic pain and recovery after prostate surgery. It involves assessment of the pelvic floor muscles and a supervised exercise programme, sometimes with biofeedback or electrical stimulation. |
| Prostate screening discussion and PSA testing | Screening | The PSA test measures prostate-specific antigen in blood. Unlike mammography or bowel screening, there is no national prostate screening programme in the UK because PSA's benefits and harms are finely balanced; instead, men over 50 (or younger with risk factors) can request a PSA test after an informed discussion of pros and cons — an approach called informed choice. |
| Prostatectomy (radical prostate removal) | Urology | Radical prostatectomy removes the whole prostate gland and seminal vesicles, usually with surrounding tissue and sometimes pelvic lymph nodes, to treat prostate cancer confined to the gland area. Most operations today are robot-assisted keyhole surgery; open surgery is still used in some cases. |
| Pterygium excision | Eyes | A pterygium is a fleshy, wing-shaped growth of surface tissue onto the cornea, associated with sun and dust exposure. Excision removes it, usually together with a small graft of healthy surface tissue (conjunctival autograft) to reduce recurrence. |
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.