Abstract
The diagnosis and treatment of trophoblastic disease depend upon the reliable measurement of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in serum or urine. The double-antibody hCG beta-subunit assay for serum hCG combines great sensitivity, specificity, and precision but requires 36 hours to yield results. This investigation sought to increase the efficiency and total assay volume capabilities of our laboratory through the development of a rapid hCG assay to augment the slower beta-subunit system. Two separate rapid hCG assays were examined—a double-antibody radioimmunoassay and a radioreceptor assay. The double-antibody assay took 5 hours to complete, while the radioreceptor assay could be completed within 3½ hours. One hundred serum samples from patients with trophoblastic disease were assayed for hCG in the beta-subunit radioimmunoassay and in both rapid assay systems. No differences in results produced by the rapid double-antibody and the hCG beta-subunit assays were noted; however, results from the radioreceptor assay were significantly different (p < 0.05) from those obtained in the beta-subunit system.
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