Fecal Fat, Qualitative

Test ID: 

Fecal Fat, Qualitative

CPT code:

Fecal Fat, Qualitative

Synonyms:

Fatty Acid, Stool

Neutral Fat, Stool

Qualitative Fat

Fats, Neutral

Clinical Use:

Detect the presence of fecal fatty acids and neutral fat. Increases in neutral fat are commonly associated with pancreatic exocrine insufficiency. Increase in stool total fats (neutral fats, soaps, and fatty acids) is likely to be associated with small bowel disease.

Test Information:

Specimen Type:

Stool (fresh random)

Requested Volume: 

3 g

Minimum Volume: 

0.5 g

Container Type: 

Plastic screw-cap vial

Patient Preparation: 

Patient should be on a diet containing at least 60 g of fat. The patient should not use suppositories or mineral oil before the specimen is collected. Oily material (eg, creams, lubricants, etc) should be avoided prior to collection of the specimen.

Collection:

Do not contaminate outside of container; do not overfill container.

Storage Instructions:

Refrigerate at 2°C to 8°C.

Stability Requirements:

Rejection Criteria

Specimen contaminated with urine and/or water; specimen on outside of container; specimen containing interfering substances (eg, castor oil, bismuth, Metamucil®, barium)