Lab Med Qual Assur.  2022 Sep;44(3):143-158. 10.15263/jlmqa.2022.44.3.143.

Report of the Korean Association of External Quality Assessment Service on Metabolite Testing in Korea (2020–2021)

• Lee SY
• Ahn S

• KMID: 2534078
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.15263/jlmqa.2022.44.3.143

Abstract

External quality assessment (EQA) trials of conventional newborn screening tests for phenylketonuria, galactosemia, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, maple syrup urine disease, homocystinuria, and congenital hypothy roidism, as well as extended newborn screening tests using tandem mass spectrometry, were performed twice in 2020 and 2021. Up to 10 dried blood spot specimens for each test item were analyzed in each trial in 15 laboratories. The median, mean, standard deviation, minimum and maxi mum values, and cut-off values were evaluated for each analyte in newborn screening tests. The proportion of correct answers was 91%–100%. EQA trials for the analysis of methylmalonic acid, vanillylmandelic acid, catecho lamines, metanephrines, organic acids, and amino acids were also performed using two or three specimens per trial. A well-designed EQA program and continuous education can help improve metabolite testing performance.

Keyword

External quality assessment; Newborn screening; Tandem mass spectrometry; Amino acid; Organic acid; Metabolite