Routine multipurpose gas chromatographic assay for urinary corticosteroids

THE USE OF A ROUTINE ASSAY FOR URINARY STEROIDS IS DESCRIBED THAT IS THOUGHT TO SATISFY THE FOLLOWING NEEDS: the measurement of low levels of 17-hydroxycorticosteroid excretion; the assessment of adrenocortical activity during prednisolone therapy; the diagnosis of the adrenogenital syndrome and the monitoring of its treatment using any available urine specimen; the very early diagnosis of pregnancy using any available urine specimen. It may also prove of value in the assessment of progesterone secretion and metabolism during pregnancy.

Urinary 17-hydroxycorticosteroids measured by gas-liquid chromatography

A method is described for the estimation of a group of cortisol metabolites in urine, namely tetrahydrocortisone, tetrahydrocortisols, cortols, cortolones and their glucosiduronic acids using gas-liquid chromatography for the final separation and measurement. The metabolites of cortisol analogues in therapeutic use do not interfere with the measurement. In normal individuals the figures for 24 hr. excretion were on average 20 % lower than those obtained by the 'total '17-hydroxycorticosteroids method of Appleby, Gibson, Norymberski & Stubbs (1955). The mean deviation from the mean of duplicate estimations was 3·5% (1–10%) and amounts less than 1 mg./24 hr. were easily detected, though at these levels the precision is thought to be ± 25 %. The use of the method in a variety of clinical conditions is described and discussed.