Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffThe doctor will ask you about your or your child's medical history and will conduct a physical exam.
To be diagnosed with cyclic vomiting syndrome, a person must have experienced at least three episodes in the past year of intense nausea and unremitting vomiting or retching — lasting hours or days. These episodes must be separated by weeks or months of symptom-free intervals.
There's no specific test that will confirm the diagnosis of cyclic vomiting syndrome. But, doctors must rule out other conditions that can produce vomiting, such as:
- Metabolic disorders
- Intestinal blockage
- Brain tumors
- Pregnancy
- Eating disorders
- Dulude E, et al. Cyclic vomiting syndrome. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Sept. 26, 2010.
- Li BU, et al. North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition consensus statement on the diagnosis and management of cyclic vomiting syndrome. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. 2008;47:379.
- Cyclic vomiting syndrome. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/cvs/CyclicVomitingSyndrome.pdf. Accessed Sept. 26, 2010.
- Pareek NP. Cyclic vomiting syndrome: What a gastroenterologist needs to know. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2007;102:2832.

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