Table 2.

Comparison of limitations and benefits of RT-ddPCR and RT-qPCR techniques.

Technique	Principle	Advantages	Disadvantages
RT-qPCR	Amount of amplified product is comparative to the fluorescence signal intensity. The sample is quantified using the reaction cycle threshold and standard curve [50].	Extensive dynamic range, wide application range, low cost [50], rapidity of diagnosis, can be used to screen large numbers of samples, a run-time of approximately 90 min [51]	Amplification efficiency is susceptible to PCR inhibitors [50]
RT-ddPCR	Generates microreaction units with water-in-oil and microfluidic technology. The nucleic acids are randomly subdivided into water-in-oil droplets that undergo PCR separately [50].	No external calibration curves are needed, and it may be less sensitive to inhibition and suboptimal PCR efficiency, high sensitivity, better resistance to PCR inhibitors, greater precision in quantification [52,50]	Narrow dynamic range and high cost [50]