Correlation of laboratory tests and clinical evaluation in phenotyping of lipoproteinemias.

Accuracy of phenotyping of lipoproteinemias by electrophoresis was assessed by comparing the interpretation of that laboratory test alone with the clinical diagnosis. Results were consistent with the clinical diagnosis in 88.7% of the series. Inconsistent results most frequently occurred with samples for which cholesterol and triglyceride determinations were not made or considered. Quantitative serum values for these substances obtained from another specimen or which had been determined by another laboratory and were not available to our laboratory, were the most common bases for the physician’s conclusion that the laboratory report was incorrect. We conclude that cholesterol and triglyceride should be routinely determined in the laboratory testing for phenotyping of lipoproteinemia. The cholesterol and triglyceride analyses must be performed on the same specimen that is electrophoresed to provide satisfactory accuracy.