Review and updating of the diagnostic sensibility of the dexamethasone suppression test and urinary determination of phenylethylamine and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethylglycol in the diagnosis of endogenous depression
Ciprian-Ollivier, J.; Boullosa, O.; Bakmas, M.C.
Acta Psiquiatrica y Psicologica de America Latina 33(2): 142-148
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0001-6896 PMID: 3321917 Document Number: 305011
60 endogenous depressive patients (DSM III: 296.2x, 3x, 296.5x) were studied according to the following diagnostic techniques: DST (Carroll's standardization), Phenyl-ethyl-amine (PEA) urinary quantification (Spatz's technique) and 3-Methoxy-4-Hydroxyphenylethyl Glycol (MHPG) urinary quantification (Bigelow's technique). Seven groups were thus obtained according to their being positive in, at least, one of those determinations. The above mentioned techniques allow the finest of discriminations since 5% of the patients only kept undetected. The critical path analysis to this conclusion is discussed.