Clinical applications of the rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic determination of serum cortisol.

We report a rapid and specific analytical method for the measurement of serum cortisol by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The method allows the diagnostic measurement of cortisol in emergency clinical circumstances of glucocorticoid deficiency or excess. Results obtained by HPLC are comparable to those by radioimmunoassay. The lower limit of sensitivity is 6 ng cortisol per ml of serum.