The diagnosis of sarcoidosis is by exclusion and cannot be accomplished with complete confidence.

Diagnostic tests can help exclude other disorders and determine what body systems may be affected by sarcoidosis.

Your doctor may recommend:

• X-ray: check for evidence of lung damage or enlarged lymph nodes in your chest. Some people are diagnosed with the condition after chest X-rays taken for other reasons
• CT scan: if complications are suspected
• PET or MRI: if sarcoidosis seems to be affecting your heart or central nervous system
• Blood tests: to assess your overall health and how well your kidneys and liver are functioning
• Lung function tests: to measure lung volume and how much oxygen your lungs deliver to your blood
• Eye exam: to check for vision problems that may be caused by sarcoidosis

The end result is neither a definitive diagnosis nor an exclusion of the diagnosis, but rather a statistical likelihood of the disease. A key objective of the research team is to identify a marker for definitive sarcoid diagnosis.