AUTHOR=Favrod-Coune Thierry , Lidsky Déborah , Vionnet Julien , Magini Giulia , Déglon Julien , Broers Barbara 

TITLE=A false positive hair ethylglucuronide dosage in an alcohol abstinent patient after liver transplantation: a case report

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2024.1363012

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2024.1363012

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=The use of direct alcohol biomarkers (ethylglucuronide and phosphatidylethanol) has recently been implemented in the clinical setting. Because of their low alcohol detection threshold, high sensitivity and specificity, these tools are very useful in the pre-and post-liver transplantation setting, where the history and physical signs are not always reliable. However, the interpretation of the results can sometimes be misleading and must be integrated into a global clinical evaluation and, more importantly, in the clinical context of each patient. We present here a case report illustrating a false positive hair ethylglucuronide caused by application of a capillary gel, in an abstinent patient after liver transplantation. This reminds us that even the most accurate laboratory tests must be interpreted with caution.