Evaluation of five kits for detecting choriogonadotropin in urine

We report an evaluation of the performance characteristics, accuracy, and sensitivity of five test kits designed to detect human choriogonadotropin (hCG) in urine: "Sensitex" (latex agglutination inhibition), "beta-Neocept" (hemagglutination inhibition), "Duoclone" (direct agglutination), "Tandem-Visual HCG" (enzyme immunoassay), and "Sensichrome" (enzyme immunoassay). For comparison, all specimens and dilutions were also quantified by a radioimmunoassay. The accuracy of these kits was excellent and the manufacturers' stated sensitivity was confirmed. We conclude that the enzyme immunoassay method is the most sensitive procedure for qualitatively detecting hCG.