Wallach's Interpretation of Diagnostic Tests: Pathways to Arriving at a Clinical Diagnosis (817 page)

   Carcinoid tumors in various locations

   Gastroenteropancreatic tumors (e.g., gastrinoma, insulinoma, VIPoma)

   Parathyroid adenoma, carcinoma, hyperplasia

   Thyroid medullary carcinoma, hyperplasia

   Tumors with variable neuroendocrine differentiation (e.g., breast, prostate)— low sensitivity

   DM, kidney, liver, or heart failure; correlates with severity of the CHF

Disorders without Increased Values

   Tumors with possible neuroendocrine lineage (e.g., choriocarcinoma, thymoma, malignant melanoma, renal cell carcinoma)

   After adrenal-to-caudate autografting and schizophrenia

Disorders with Decreased Values

   CSF in Parkinson disease

   Limitations

   Chromogranin A may not distinguish neuroendocrine hyperplasia from tumor.

   EIA may have lower limit of detection than RIA. Results obtained with different assay methods or kits cannot be used interchangeably.

CLOT RETRACTION
*

Clot retraction does not take place in the absence of functional platelets or of fibrinogen. Historically, it was the earliest test used in the discovery of thrombasthenia, but it is no longer in use.

CLOTTING FACTORS
^†

   Definition