rss
J Clin Pathol 2009;62:743-745 doi:10.1136/jcp.2009.064485
  • Short report

Appropriateness of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody testing in a tertiary hospital

  1. P C Robinson1,
  2. R H Steele2
  1. 1
    Rheumatology Department, Hutt Hospital, Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand
  2. 2
    Immunology Department, Wellington Hospital, Wellington South, New Zealand
  1. Dr P Robinson, Rheumatology Department, Hutt Hospital, Private Bag 31907, Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand; philip.robinson{at}huttvalleydhb.org.nz
  • Accepted 12 February 2009

Abstract

Aims: To determine whether indications for ordering antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) meet the 1999 guidelines proposed for ANCA testing; and to examine the test characteristics of the ANCA test.

Methods: The indications for all ANCA tests over a two-year period were assessed and compared to the 1999 guidelines for the appropriate testing of ANCA.

Results: 1127 tests were examined. Overall 33.4% had an indication meeting the 1999 guidelines. The commonest non-guideline indications were ocular or orbital inflammation, liver disease and inflammatory bowel disease. All tests with a positive ANCA had indications for testing in line with the 1999 guidelines. In all but one case an ANCA associated small vessel vasculitis (AASVV) was present.

Conclusions: ANCA is ordered for a wide range of guideline and non-guideline indications. No cases of AASVV would have been missed if ordering were restricted to tests meeting the 1999 guidelines.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests: None.

This Article

  1. Abstract
  2. Full text
  3. PDF

Responses

  1. Submit a response
  2. No responses published

Register for free content

The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.

Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.