Comparison of five detection methods for Helicobacter pylori.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate which diagnostic test is preferable for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori in patients with gastroduodenal disease.


METHODS
H pylori infection was diagnosed prospectively in 101 patients. Diagnosis of H pylori was made by tests based on five different principles: (1) culture, (2) direct histologic demonstration, (3) imprint cytology, (4) brushing cytology, and (5) gram staining of H pylori. Efficacy of each test was compared.


RESULTS
All the tests were reliable for diagnosing H pylori infection; 73.3% of patients showed concordance in at least two tests. All the tests were positive in > 50% of patients. Significant concordance between brushing and imprint cytology was also determined. These two tests have almost similar specificity when compared to other tests.


CONCLUSIONS
When patients undergo upper endoscopy, we recommend taking biopsy specimens for culture and histology. H pylori can be assessed equally well with all the tests, but imprint and brushing cytology have the advantage of rapid response, specificity, much lower cost and reproducibility.
Sentürk
O
O
Gastroenterology Section, Department of Internal Medicine, and Departments of General Surgery and Pathology, Kocaeli University Medical School, Kocaeli, Turkey.
Cantürk
Z
Z
Erçin
C
C
Cantürk
N Z
NZ
Celebi
A
A
Hulagu
S
S
Paksoy
N
N
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D003581:Cytodiagnosis / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000473:pathology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity