Ten-second endoscopic breath test using a 20-mg dose of 13C-urea to detect Helicobacter pylori infection

Attempts to improve the 13C-urea breath test (UBT) have focused on decreasing the amount of substrate used and reducing the duration of the test. To render the test less expensive and more convenient, we designed a more rapid and less expensive endoscopic UBT with a low dose of 20 mg and a shortened measurement time.

A total of 178 patients who underwent diagnostic upper endoscopy were enrolled. At endoscopy, 150 mL of intragastric gas sample were collected through a biopsy channel. Following inflation with air, 20 mL of water containing 20 mg of 13C-urea were sprayed onto the gastric mucosa using a spraying instrument. After 10 seconds, a gastric gas sample was collected again. The standard UBT was performed after 3-10 days.

The delta13CO2 values of intragastric samples in H. pylori-positive patients and H. pylori-negative patients were 76.7 +/- 132.9 per thousand and 1.6 +/- 1.2 per thousand, respectively. With intragastric samples, the maximum sensitivity and specificity of intragastric samples were 83.7% and 100% with cut-off point of 8 per thousand, respectively.

Ten-second endoscopic UBT using a 20-mg dose of 13C-urea is a rapid, inexpensive, and accurate method for the detection of H. pylori infection in clinical practice.