Interlaboratory agreement and handling variability for consistency of results in paired serum bile acid assays.

Paired serum bile acid (SBA) samples from 30 dogs with presumptive hepatobiliary disease and 30 apparently healthy dogs were submitted to three diagnostic laboratories to validate agreement between these facilities. Sensitivities and specificities ranged from 50% to 70% and from 74% to 85%, respectively, for all laboratories. The κ index confirmed almost perfect agreement between laboratories. Variation in sample handling and processing by different laboratories should not be considered a primary factor when aberrant SBA values are encountered. Documenting agreement between laboratories is essential as inconsistencies could direct unnecessary medical or surgical intervention when patients are evaluated at different hospitals during the course of their disease.