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Structure of TSH |
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Endocrinology
Diabetes diagnosis and monitoring
At Stanford, the preferred oral glucose tolerance test in non-pregnant patients includes a fasting glucose as well as a single 2-hour glucose level after administering 75g glucose.
We also offer the traditional version of the oral glucose tolerance test. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has recommended that this test be replaced by the simpler one but you may still order this version, if you wish.
Patients do not need to be fasting for the screening test for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). However, if this test is positive, we offer a a 3-hour confirmatory test, which should be performed subsequently, after an overnight fast of 10-14 hours, just as for the non-pregnant glucose tolerance test.
Thyroid function testing
Stanford offers a full range of thyroid function testing including thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), free thyroxine (T4), thyroglobulin, and antibodies to thyroglobulin and thyroid peroxidase.
Now that clinical laboratories have sensitive assays to measure TSH, most physicians use these as single-test screens of thyroid function. To confirm the presence of thyroid disease in patients with abnormal TSH results, most laboratories rely on immunoassays for free T4.
At Stanford, we use a free T4 assay with a two-step assay format that has been shown to correlate with equilibrium dialysis and meets the guidelines of a recent consensus document for assay performance.
