13C-Urea breath test, using a new compact nondispersive isotope-selective infrared spectrophotometer: comparison with mass spectrometry

Background The 13C-urea breath test (13C-UBT) is the most commonly used noninvasive method of detecting Helicobacter pylori infection. The isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS) is the most commonly used device for this test, but the UBiT-IR300 infrared spectrophotometer, which, by comparison, is a more compact, less expensive, and easier to use analytical device, has now become widely used in the clinical setting in Japan. The objective of this study was to examine the diagnostic performance of the 13C-UBT, using the UBiT-IR300.