title: Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection. Review of diagnostic techniques and recommendations for their use in different clinical settings.
abstract: Multiple diagnostic tests are available for determining the presence of Helicobacter pylori infection. Some tests rely on endoscopy while others are non-invasive. The accuracy of a test depends on the clinical situation in which it is used. Most tests have been evaluated in untreated individuals, while few studies have investigated their performance post-treatment when bacterial counts might be low. In this overview we first discuss the different diagnostic techniques available to the clinician, and their value in the pre-treatment and post-treatment settings. Finally, we discuss the patient management-related question that arise in several clinical settings and recommend when to use which tests and why.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Internal Medicine, Sint Anna Hospital, Oss, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: de Boer
mesh_terms: D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000382:microbiology; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D010437:Peptic Ulcer / Q000382:microbiology; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology