Helicobacter Forums

After meeting with my doctor yesterday he told me that we were successful in getting rid of the h pylori. One question I have though is does the biopsy always give accurate results? How sure can he be that it truly is eradicated?

Any advice/tips now that the HP is gone?

I love good news. Congratulation!

endoscopy method is by taking a piece of your biopsy and get tested.

If it is tested with CLOtest, the sensitivity and specificity is over 90%. the principle is exactly like urea breath test. So, if you took antibiotics or PPI or naturally low in stomach acid, then this test may fail.

If it is tested via histology slides, then it is depending on the skill of the pathologist. We normally assume the pathologist is well trained and certified. So, the accuracy is almost unbeatable.

If it is tested via bacterial culture method, then it is again depending on the skill of the laboratory. This vary a lot from lab to lab as the staffs turn over may be high and may not be skill enough to culture H. pylori. For example, a dedicated H. pylori laboratory will have a culture success rate of >90% whereas, a commercial pathology microbiology lab may have a success rate of about 50%.

other tests available include PCR (DNA testing) and antigen testing.

So, to really really confirm the eradication, you can order a breath test one month later.