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  1. Nov 2018
    1. UREA BREATH TESTSUrea breath tests require the ingestion of urea labeled with the nonradioactive isotope carbon 13 or carbon 14. Specificity and sensitivity approach 100%. Urea breath testing is one option for test of cure and should be performed four to six weeks after completion of eradication therapy. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) must be stopped for at least two weeks before the test, and accuracy is lower in patients who have had distal gastrectomy. Cost and inconvenience are disadvantages of this test.8STOOL MONOCLONAL ANTIGEN TESTSStool antigen tests using monoclonal antibodies are as accurate as urea breath tests if a validated laboratory-based monoclonal test is used.1,11 They are cheaper and require less equipment than urea breath tests. Like urea breath tests, stool antigen tests detect only active infection and can be used as a test of cure. PPIs should be stopped for two weeks before testing, but stool antigen tests are not as affected by PPI use as are urea breath tests.SEROLOGIC TESTSSerologic antibody testing detects immunoglobulin G specific to H. pylori in serum and cannot distinguish between an active infection and a past infection. Serologic tests may be most useful in mass population surveys and in patients who cannot stop taking PPIs (e.g., those with gastrointestinal bleeding or continuous NSAID use) because the tests are not affected by PPI or antibiotic use.1,2ENDOSCOPY WITH BIOPSYEndoscopy with biopsy is recommended to rule out cancer and other serious causes in patients 55 years or older, or with one or more alarm symptoms. In patients who have not been taking a PPI within one to two weeks of endoscopy, or bismuth or an antibiotic within four weeks, the rapid urease test performed on the biopsy specimen provides an accurate, inexpensive means of diagnosing H. pylori infection.2 Patients who have been on these medications will require histology, with or without rapid urease testing. Culture and polymerase chain reaction allow for susceptibility testing but are not readily available for clinical use in the United States.

      I found this article about the diagnosis and treatment of peptic ulcer disease. I highlighted the diagnostic methods that we can use for PUD.