Homocysteine

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Testing Laboratory

Auckland Te Toka Tumai | Auckland Hospital

Department

Chemical Pathology

Delphic Registration Code (Alpha Code)

HOMO

Test Code (Numeric Code)

3215

Laboratory Handling

Phlebotomy

Specimen should be placed on ice immediately post collection. Serum or plasma must be removed from the clot, RBC or separator gel within 6 hours. SST is the preferred sample for community samples.

Separating

Specimen must be must be placed on ice immediately post collection. Separate within 6 hours of collection. Analysed on Cobas Line 2 Place aliquots in Automation box in freezer 37. If CMV requested send to Virology first.

Sample Stability

4 days at 15-25°C, 4 weeks at 2-8°C, 10 months at -20°C. Due to ongoing release of homocysteine from erythrocytes, plasma homocysteine increases by approximately 1umol/L/h in unseparated samples at room temperature.

Synonyms

Plasma/Serum Homocysteine

Turnaround Time

2 weeks

Specimen Type

  • Plasma
  • Serum

Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred
  • Lithium Heparin PST- Gel (Light Green Cap)
Acceptable
  • EDTA (Lavender Cap)
  • Lithium Heparin - Non-gel (Green Cap)
  • Plain (Red Top)
  • SST II (Gold Cap)

Paediatric Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred
  • SST(Microtainer)
Acceptable
  • EDTA (Microtainer)
  • Heparin (Microtainer)
  • Plain(Microtainer)

Pre-testing Requirements

This test may be vetted by a pathologist.
The clinical information for the test must be clearly written on the request form. If clinical information is not provided, or does not provide sufficient justification for the test, the test may be declined.

Declined tests :

If a test is declined, the specimen will be held for a reasonable period (usually 3 weeks but dependant on the stability of the sample). Medical practitioners seeking approval for a declined test should email the on-call Chemical Pathologist ( chemicalpathologist@adhb.govt.nz ) , giving the patient's name and NHI number and the clinical justification for the test. If unable to email, call the on-call Chemical Pathologist via Lablink (09-3078995) and identify yourself as a doctor.

Test vetting policy

Additional Specimen Information

5 mL Adult PST Blood (Preferred)
EDTA 4 mL EDTA Blood
Heparin 5 mL Heparin Plasma
Plain 4 mL Plain Blood
SST 3.5 mL SST Blood

Microsample 0.5 mL Paediatric Microsample Blood
Micro-heparin 0.5 mL Paediatric Micro-heparin Plasma

Last updated: 30/03/2026