title: A combination of the Helicobacter pylori stool antigen test and urea breath test is useful for clinical evaluation of eradication therapy: a multicenter study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Helicobacter pylori stool antigen (HpSA) test is a new tool for evaluating the H. pylori infection. The present study was carried out to investigate the clinical usefulness of the HpSA test in the evaluation of eradication therapy by comparing it with the (13)C-urea breath test (UBT).
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and five patients received eradication therapy for H. pylori. After more than 8 weeks, the success of the therapy was evaluated by the HpSA test and the UBT. Concordant results were regarded as a final diagnosis, but when the results were discordant, histological examination was carried out.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 105 patients receiving eradication therapy for H. pylori, 25 patients were regarded as H. pylori positive by the UBT and and 20 patients were regarded as H. pylori positive by the the HpSA test. Nine patients (8.6%) showed discordant results (seven cases with UBT(+) and HpSA(-), and two with UBT(-) and HpSA(+)). Five cases out of nine were ultimately judged as having a false-positive result of the UBT, and in these cases the UBT values were relatively low (below 10 per thousand). The final diagnostic accuracies of the UBT and the HpSA test were 94.3% (88.0-97.9%; 95% CI) and 97.1% (91.9-99.4%), respectively. When we used the HpSA test in cases with weakly positive UBT values, we were able to diagnose the correct status of H. pylori infection after eradication in 99% of all patients (94.8-100.0%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HpSA test is a useful tool for the evaluation of eradication therapy and a combination of the HpSA test and UBT is clinically recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Molecular Science, Hirsohima University, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan. maito@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Sunjin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kazumasa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tahara
authors.forename: Yuzuru
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Masaharu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sumii
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takehara
authors.forename: Kozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Eiichi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kunihiro
authors.forename: Toshiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kunita
authors.forename: Shinobu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Imagawa
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takata
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Egi
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hiyama
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: Yasuhiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitadai
authors.forename: Masaharu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshihara
authors.forename: Kazuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chayama
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D001706:Biopsy; D001944:Breath Tests; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014508:Urea / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D014508:Urea