C-13-urea breath test with infrared spectroscopy for diagnosing Helicobacter pylori infection in children and adolescents

Background and Objective: Studies support the accuracy of C-13-urea breath test for diagnosing and confirming cure of Helicobacter pylori infection in children. Three methods are used to assess (CO2)-C-13 increment in expired air: mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy, and laser-assisted ratio analysis, in this study, the C-13-urea breath test performed with infrared spectroscopy in children and adolescents was evaluated.Methods: Seventy-five patients (6 months to 18 years old) were included. the gold standard for diagnosis was a positive culture or positive histology and a positive rapid urease test. Tests were performed with 50 mg of C-13-urea diluted in 100 mL orange juice in subjects weighing up to 30 kg, or with 75 mg of C-13-urea diluted in 200 mL commercial orange juice for subjects weighing more than 30 kg. Breath samples were collected just before and at 30 minutes after tracer ingestion. the C-13-urea breath test was considered positive When delta over baseline (DOB) was greater than 4.0%.Results: Tests were positive for H. pylori in 31 of 75 patients. Sensitivity was 96.8%, specificity was 93.2%, positive predictive value was 90.9%, negative predictive value was 97.6%, and accuracy was 94.7%. Conclusions: C-13-urea breath test performed with infrared spectroscopy is a reliable, accurate, and noninvasive diagnostic tool for detecting H. pylori infection. (C) 2002 Lippincott Williams Wilkins, Inc.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc