An evaluation of the PyloriTek test for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in Chinese patients before and after eradication therapy

Abstract

Background and Aim: The PyloriTek Test Kit (a 1-h rapid urease test) was developed for the rapid diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) during endoscopy. Most studies were performed in Western populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the PyloriTek test for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection in Chinese population. Methods: Eligible patients without prior treatment or who had had recent eradication of H. pylori were recruited. During endoscopy, biopsies were taken from the antrum and corpus for an in-house rapid urease test (RUT), histology and for the PyloriTek test (one antral and one corpus biopsy). Results of the PyloriTek test were compared with the gold standard (RUT and histology). Results: Analysis of PyloriTek test results from the antrum alone (101 patients before eradication and 52 patients after eradication) showed a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 96.3, 97.9, and 97.0%, respectively, for cases before eradication, and an accuracy of 100% for cases after eradication. The benefit of an additional body biopsy was marginal and only occurred in the pre-eradication group. Conclusion: The PyloriTek test was highly accurate for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection before and after eradication therapy, with a final result available at 1 h, which is unmatched by any invasive test so far. It enhances clinical decision-making by allowing the clinicians or endoscopists to start therapy on the same day of an endoscopy visit. One biopsy from the antrum is highly reliable for this purpose. © 2001 Blackwell Science Asia Pty Ltd.