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Order Code LABALAV Aldosterone, Left Adrenal Vein, Plasma


Specimen Required


Patient Preparation: Spironolactone (Aldactone) should be discontinued for 4 to 6 weeks before specimen collection. The plasma renin activity cannot be interpreted if the patient is being treated with spironolactone.

Collection Container/Tube: Lavender top (EDTA)

Submission Container/Tube: Plastic vial

Specimen Volume: 1.6 mL

Collection Instructions:

1. See Renin-Aldosterone Studies for detailed instructions.

2. The recommended collection time is 8 a.m., after the patient is active for approximately 2 hours. Try to collect the specimen as close to that time as possible and no later than 10 a.m.

3. Centrifuge and aliquot plasma into a plastic vial.


Useful For

Investigation using left adrenal vein plasma specimen for:

-Primary aldosteronism (eg, adrenal adenoma/carcinoma and adrenal cortical hyperplasia)

-Secondary aldosteronism (renovascular disease, salt depletion, potassium loading, cardiac failure with ascites, pregnancy, Bartter syndrome)

Method Name

Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)

Reporting Name

Aldosterone, LAV, P

Specimen Type

Plasma EDTA

Specimen Minimum Volume

1 mL

Specimen Stability Information

Specimen Type Temperature Time Special Container
Plasma EDTA Frozen (preferred) 30 days
  Refrigerated  28 days
  Ambient  4 days

Reject Due To

Gross hemolysis OK
Gross lipemia OK
Gross icterus OK

Reference Values

No established reference values.

Method Description

Aldosterone-d6 is added to serum and plasma samples as an internal standard. Aldosterone and aldosterone-d6 are extracted from the specimens using a Strata X cartridge. The eluate is dried down under nitrogen, reconstituted with 70/30 methanol/water containing estriol and analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry using multiple reaction monitoring in the negative mode.(Fredline VF, Taylor PJ, Dodds HM, Johnson AG. A reference method for the analysis of aldosterone in blood by high-performance liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Anal Biochem. 1997;252[2]:308-313)

Day(s) Performed

Monday through Friday

Performing Laboratory

Mayo Clinic Laboratories in Rochester

CPT Code Information

82088