The evolution of mass spectrometry in the clinical laboratory.

Clinical laboratories around the world are recognizing the power of mass spectrometry. This technique, especially when coupled to gas chromatography or liquid chromatography, is revolutionizing the analysis of many analytes. Unlike many other techniques which measure one analyte at a time, these techniques can measure multiple analytes (>40) at one time. In recent years the scope of testing using these techniques has expanded from toxicological purposes to newborn screening to hormones, proteins, and enzymes. It is not uncommon any more to see mass spectrometry being used in the routine clinical laboratories.