Figure 1.

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) electrophoresis (EP). In normal serum, two or three distinct bands can be identified: a liver band which moves rapidly towards the anode; a diffuse slower running bone band; an intestinal band (when present) lying behind the bone band. Lectin is use to retard sialated forms (usually bone). Tracks 5 and 6 show EP without (track 5) and with (track 6) lectin for a normal serum. Tracks 9 (no lectin) and 10 (with lectin) show EP for patient 2. In benign transient hyperphosphatasia (BTH), the liver ALP isoenzyme EP mobility is increased (track 9) but with lectin the increased sialation slows mobility (track 10).