Methods for the determination of plasma total homocysteine: a review

Total homocysteine is the sum of all homocysteine species present in plasma . This parameter is valuable for the diagnosis and follow up of cobalamine or folate deficiencies, and it has been accepted as an independent risk fac tor for premature cardiovascular disease. These reasons justify the introdu ction of total homocysteine assays in the routine clinical laboratory. In t he present review, we discuss the procedures for sample collection, process ing and storage, and review the methodologies for measuring total homocyste ine. We compare their feasibility as routine methods in the clinical labora tory.