Geisinger Medical Laboratories Test Catalog
18-HYDROXYCORTICOSTERONE |
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ORDERING INFORMATION: |
Geisinger Epic Procedure Code: LAB1351 Geisinger Epic ID: 53329 | |
SPECIMEN COLLECTION |
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Specimen type: |
Serum | |
Preferred collection container: |
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Specimen required: |
0.5 mL serum; minimum 0.25 mL. | |
Special notes: |
Do not collect in serum separator tube. | |
SPECIMEN PROCESSING |
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Specimen processing instructions: |
Collect specimen in a non-additive red top tube. Spin down immediately and pour off into a 13 x 75 mm plastic transport tube. | |
Transport temperature: |
Frozen. | |
Specimen stability: |
Room temperature: 7 days. Refrigerated: 7 days. Frozen: 28 days. | |
Rejection criteria: |
Gross hemolysis • Moderate hemolysis • Grossly lipemic • Grossly icteric • Serum separator tube | |
TEST DETAILS |
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Additional information: |
This test was developed and its analytical performance characteristics have been determined by Quest Diagnostics. It has not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This assay has been validated pursuant to the CLIA regulations and is used for clinical purposes. | |
CPT code(s): |
82542 | |
Note: The billing party has sole responsibility for CPT coding. Any questions regarding coding should be directed to the payer being billed. The CPT codes provided by GML are based on AMA guidelines and are for informational purposes only. | ||
Methodology: |
Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) |
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Synonyms: |
Quest test code 94621, 18-Hydroxyco, 18-OH Corticosterone
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Clinical significance: |
Primary aldosteronism should be suspected whenever a patient has the triad of hypertension, hypokalemia, and inappropriate renal potassium wasting. The biggest challenge is the differential diagnosis between the more common adrenal adenoma and bilateral hyperplasia. Because adrenal adenomas increase the circulating levels of 18-hydroxycorticosterone (18-OH B), serum levels of 18-OH B may be useful to differentiate them from bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. The cutoff point appears to be about 50 ng/dL of serum. Most values are around 100 ng/dL. The higher the level of this precursor, the greater the possibility that an adrenal adenoma is present. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 97: 881-9, 2012. |