Table 1. Comparison of antibody testing methods.

Antibody test methods	CDC cross match	Flow cross match	Solid phase single antigen assay
Diagram of protocols
Usage of test	Usually pre-transplant	Usually pre-transplant	Both pre- and post-transplant
Antigen source	Native antigens on donor lymphocytes	Native antigens on donor lymphocytes	Purified single antigens on beads
Antibody detected	Cytotoxic, complement fixing IgG and IgM, donor specific	Donor specific IgG	IgG anti-HLA antibodies in general
Antibody specificity determined	No	No	Yes (HLA)
Quantitation	Scale 1-8 binary	Semi-quantitative	Semi-quantitative
Sensitivity	Low	Intermediate	High
Repeatability	Low	Low to intermediate	High
Requirement for live cells	Yes	Yes	No

HLA, human leukocyte antigen; CDC, complement dependent cytotoxicity.