SimultaneousDeterminationof the FourMajorCatecholamineMetabolites and Estimationof a SerotoninMetabolitein Urine by CapillaryGas Chromatographyof Their tert-ButyldimethylsilylDerivatives

We have developed a routine capillary gas-chromato-graphic profiling method for simultaneous quantitative determination of the tert-butyldimethylsilyl derivatives of homovanillic acid, vanilmandelic acid, 3-methoxy-4-hy-&oxyphenylethylene glycol, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and the estimation of 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid in urine. The method is useful for diagnosis and followup of patients with functional tumors characterized by in-creased urinaryexcretion of metabolites originatingfrom the metabolism of tyrosine and tryptophan-e.g., neuro-blastoma, pheochromocytoma, carcinoid, and melanoma. It may also be applicable in pharmacokinetic studies of administered aromatic amino acids (parkinsonism, mental diseases, loading tests) and for diagnosis and followup of patients with inborn errors of metabolism that are char