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The investigation of the tested commercially available T4-RIA-Kits have shown that: The separation of hypo-, eu- and hyperthyroid values is better with kits a) and f) than with b),c),d) and e), though all kits give acceptable values under routine operating conditions, kit b) takes less time and work than the other tested kits, depending on the kit used, the time needed for 100 determinations varies between 1,5 and 4 hr. A general recommendation for one of the tested T4-RIA-Kits cannot be made since the choice of a kit depends not only on the criteria discussed but also on local circumstances.

The investigation of 4 commercially available T4-RIA-Kits with 350 patient sera have shown that: The separation of hypo-, eu- and hyperthyroid values is easier with kit a) and d) than with b) and c), though all kits give acceptable values under routine conditions. For the determination of the "normal range" not less than 100 patient sera are necessary. The time needed for 100 determinations is 2 to 3 hr. A general recommendation for one of the tested T4-RIA-Kits cannot be made since the choice depends also on local circumstances.

The values of FT3-serum concentration (Amerlex-RIA) from 311 patients and the FT4-values (Amerlex-RIA) from 745 patients were compared with the total T3- and total T4-values with regard to their diagnostic accuracy in hypo-, eu- and hyperthyroidism. The classification of patients into these three diagnostic categories was determined by the majority of available parameters. The analysis of the predictive values demonstrated that determination of free hormones usually guarantees a safe distinction between hypo-, eu- and hyperthyroidism. Taking into account prevalence, the determination of free hormones appears to be superior to that of total hormones.