Test Utilization: Improving ordering practices for the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori



 

Helicobacter pylori infects half of the world’s population and is a major gastric pathogen associated with multiple gastric illnesses, including gastritis, peptic ulcer disease, and gastric cancer. The field of H. pylori diagnostics and treatment has evolved rapidly in the past decade, leading to updated management guidelines from both the American Gastroenterology Association and American College of Gastroenterology. This lecture will discuss the tests available for H. pylori diagnostics, and outline the tests that are useful for establishing diagnosis and those that are not recommended. Additionally, the specific guidelines will be outlined for test-and-treat strategies for management of H. pylori-associated disease.

Originally published on May 22, 2012


Lecture Presenter

Marc Roger Couturier, PhD

Marc Roger Couturier, PhD

Medical Director, Microbial Immunology, Parasitology & Fecal Testing & Infectious Disease Rapid Testing
ARUP Laboratories
Assistant Professor of Pathology
University of Utah School of Medicine

Dr. Couturier is the medical director of Microbial Immunology and the assistant medical director of Parasitology and Fecal Testing and Infectious Disease Rapid Testing at ARUP. He is also an assistant professor of pathology at the University Of Utah School Of Medicine. Dr. Couturier received his PhD in medical microbiology and immunology with specialty in bacteriology from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He served as a research associate/post-doctoral fellow at the Alberta Provincial Laboratory for Public Health and completed a medical microbiology fellowship (ABMM) at the University of Utah. His research interests include Helicobacter pylori diagnostics and population prevalence, in particular identifying populations with increased risk of infection and reduced access to medical care. Dr. Couturier also has a research focus aimed at developing improved diagnostics for emerging agents of infectious gastroenteritis. He is board certified in medical microbiology, and a member of the American Society for Microbiology and Infectious Disease Society of America.


Objectives

After this presentation, participants will be able to:

  • This series reviews clinical indications for laboratory tests which are commonly ordered inappropriately.

Sponsored by:

University of Utah School of Medicine, and ARUP Laboratories