The present invention provides an instrument and a method for examining the condition of column-like or cylindrical sections of objects. It comprises a drive device (1) with a drill chuck, which holds a drill needle (3) that can be driven by the drive device (1), and a guiding device for the guided insertion of the drill needle (3) into the object (6) to be examined. The guiding device is a telescopic tube (2), which comprises a shorter inner tube section (2') that is arranged in a longer outer tube section (2") in an axially displaceable fashion and has a longitudinally arranged measurement scale (4) on the outer circumference thereof. The telescopic tube (2) is placed on the drive device (1) in a non-rotating fashion via the inner tube section (2'). The inner and the outer tube section (2', 2") have guide means (7) for centrally-axially guiding the drill needle (3), which extends in the central-axial direction through the inner tube section (2') and through the outer tube section (2") from the drill chuck. When the inner tube section (2") is inserted into the outer tube section (2"), the drill needle (3) can be driven into the object (6) to be examined in a guided fashion by the guide means (7).