title: The diagnostic utility of c-ANCA in Wegener's granulomatosis.
abstract: Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies with a cytoplasmic staining pattern (c-ANCA) have been found to have a high degree of sensitivity and specificity for Wegener's granulomatosis. Nevertheless, despite the attraction of using this autoantibody as a diagnostic test, in almost all instances it should not be used in place of a biopsy to diagnose Wegener's granulomatosis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Langford
mesh_terms: D019268:Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic / Q000032:analysis*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D001706:Biopsy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D014890:Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D019268:Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic; D015415:Biomarkers