RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Should we still be doing duplicate immunoassays?
JF Journal of Clinical Pathology
JO J Clin Pathol
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Association of Clinical Pathologists
SP 989
OP 991
DO 10.1136/jcp.41.9.989
VO 41
IS 9
A1 E Lester
A1 C Corns
YR 1988
UL http://jcp.bmj.com/content/41/9/989.abstract
AB To determine whether, with improvements in radioimmunoassay techniques, duplication is still necessary, the differences between duplicate results for a range of assays done routinely over one month were examined retrospectively. Differences over 10% between duplicates were found in 104/779 (13%) of assays for thyroid stimulating hormone, 27/180 (15%) for total thyroxine, 44/378 (12%) for cortisol, 15/355 (4%) for follicular stimulating hormone, 20/356 (6%) for luteinising hormone, and none for alpha fetoprotein (0/256). In only two of 779 patients (0.26%) would the different result of a pair of thyroid stimulating hormone duplicates have led to different courses of action by the laboratory. None of the other differences in any assay would have resulted in a potential misclassification. Although replication of assays will give more correct results by pure scientific criteria, the improvement is rarely clinically important and the financial cost is considerable.