Table 3.
Diagnostic methods according to Whipple disease entity.
| CWD N = 11 |
LWD N = 24 |
AWD N = 15 |
PAWD N = 18 |
Total N = 68 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PAS staining n/N (%) | 11/11 (100) | 0/12 (0) | 0/15 (0) | ND | |
| PCR n/N (%) | |||||
| Cutaneous biopsy | 2/2 (100) | 0/2 (0) | 0/1 (0) | 3/8 (38) | 5/13 (38) |
| Saliva | 10/11 (91) | 15/21 (71) | 13/16 (81) | 14/18 (78) | 52/66 (79) |
| Stool | 9/9 (100) | 21/22 (95) | 14/14 (100) | 17/18 (94) | 61/63 (97) |
| Saliva and stool | 9/9 (100) | 15/21 (71) | 12/14 (86) | 13/18 (72) | 49/62 (79) |
| Small-bowel biopsy | 8/9 (89) | 7/17 (41) | 8/14 (57) | 10/11 (91) | 33/51 (65) |
| Synovial fluid | 3/5 (60) | 21/21 (100) | 0/1 (0) | 0/1 (0) | 24/28 (86) |
| Synovial biopsy | 1/1 (100) | 1/2 (50) | 0/1 (0) | 0/1 (0) | 2/5 (40) |
| Discovertebral biopsy | 0 | 1/2 (50) | 0/1 (0) | 0 | 1/3 (33) |
| CSF | 1/6 (17) | 3/11 (27) | 0/5 (0) | 0/9 (0) | 4/31 (13) |
| Cardiac valve | 1/1 (100) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 (100) |
| Urine | 1/3 (33) | 0/3 (0) | 1/2 (50) | 0/3 (0) | 2/11 (18) |
| Blood | 5/10 (50) | 2/9 (22) | 2/4 (50) | 1/9 (11) | 10/32 (31) |
AWD arthropathic Whipple disease; CSF cerebrospinal fluid; CWD classic Whipple disease; LWD localized Whipple disease; PAS periodic acid-Schiff; PAWD probably athropathic Whipple disease.