Comparison of fecal occult blood tests for detection of gastrointestinal bleeding in pediatric patients.

To compare fecal occult blood tests (Hemoccult II, Hemoccult SENSA, HemeSelect) for detecting the presence of occult gastrointestinal bleeding in a pediatric population at high risk, we analyzed stool specimens from 100 children who followed a restricted diet. Forty-two children had upper and 58 lower gastrointestinal sources of bleeding. Positivity rates ranged from 10.8% to 26% dependent upon the occult blood test. Whereas Hemoccult II and Hemoccult SENSA slides detected several positive specimens in upper gastrointestinal bleeding sources, all HemeSelect slides were negative in these subjects. In lower gastrointestinal bleeding, HemeSelect slides were positive in 26.8% of samples as opposed to 15.9% and 17.5% positivity rates for Hemoccult II and Hemoccult SENSA, but this difference was not statistically significant. We conclude that fecal occult blood tests vary, depending upon the origin of bleeding. Our results favor use of Hemoccult SENSA slides for suspected upper gastrointestinal bleeding and HemeSelect slides for lower gastrointestinal bleeding in children. However, if only one all-purpose fecal occult blood test is to be utilized, then our data supports the use of Hemoccult SENSA slides for children.