Assay of parathyroid hormone in human serum and its uses.

The assay of parathyroid hormone has contributed greatly to our understanding of calcium metabolism in health and disease. The most important clinical application of the assay is in the differential diagnosis of hypercalcaemia, which is an increasing clinical problem. PTH assays are of little or no value in the absence of other biochemical data, especially accurate determinations of plasma calcium and phosphate.