[Comparative analysis of various standard immunohistochemical procedures].

Immunohistochemical staining techniques, such as the APAAP, ABC, EnVision and Immuf1p4x methods, play a leading role in the search to solve the questions arising in clinical diagnosis. With the increase in number of techniques for diagnostic examination, the sarch for suitable method is becoming more and more important. The goal of this study was to compare these different treatments with regard to sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, an analysis of time and cost was made. The primary antibodies used were CD20, CD30 and IgM, as well as receptor antibodies estrogen and progesterone. The variable costs of each technique were calculated based on selected examples. The APAAP method required the most time and was, at the same time, by far the most expensive treatment. The EnVision method required the least time and showed very good staining results, which were comparable to those of the ABC and ImmunoMax techniques. The staining costs could be reduced by about 95% and the staining intensity improved substantially by using expensive receptor antibodies in combination with the Immuno-Max method. This study illustrates the importance of knowing different examination techniques, as well as the costs arising by their usage.