Abstract
Background: In some cases of gestational trophoblastic disease, a large amount of serum β-hCG may lead to the high-dose “hook effect” with falsely low serum levels, creating misdiagnosis or delay in diagnosis and therapeutic hazards to the patient. Cases: In two cases of the hook effect in complete hydatidiform mole, ultrasonographic scan showed intrauterine echogenic material, whereas diluted serum specimens gave very high levels of β-hCG (1,600,000 and 2,225,000 mIU/mL). Conclusion: The possibility of a method-dependent hook effect must be considered. Early recognition of falsely low values of β-hCG can allow correction to the true values by various methods, such as serum dilution before the radioimmunometric method.(Obstet Gynecol 1993;82:720-1)
Published Version
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