Test Code T4C T4 Total (Thyroxine)
Specimen and Container/Tube
Specimen Type: Serum
Preferred Specimen: Red Top
Other Acceptable specimens: Serum/Gold Top, Plasma/Li-Heparin Mint Green Top, Plasma/Lavendar K2 Top, Plasma/Lavendar K3 Top
Specimen Stability
Storage Temperature |
Stability |
Room temperature |
4 days |
Refrigerated |
8 days |
Frozen |
12 months |
Collection Instructions
Collect specimen per standard laboratory collection procedures.
Specimen Handling and Transport Instructions
UCMC Onsite Instructions:
Collect specimen per standard collection procedure and send to laboratory immediately.
UCMC Offsite and UC MedLab Outreach Instructions:
- Samples should be centrifuged within 2 hours of collection.
- Centrifuge specimens at >2500 x g for 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Aliquot sample into plastic transport tube containing a minimum of 0.2 mL of specimen.
- Samples must be sent room temperature at 15-25oC.
Rejection Criteria
- Common specimen rejected situations include: incorrect specimen type, insufficient volume, missing or incomplete specimen identifiers, incorrect specimen transport, or specimens outside stability limits.
- Specimens that are clotted or grossly hemolyzed.
- Specimens that were transported unspun/whole blood and draw time is greater than 6 hours.
Reference Values
Test |
Age |
Sex |
Reference Range* |
T4 |
All |
All |
5.0-11.6 μg/dL |
* Reference range is based on in-house studies performed at the University of Chicago Medicine by the Clinical Chemsitry Laboratories, per the Roche cobas 8000 modular analyzer series e 801 System Installation Workbook, and the e 801 T4 product insert.
Critical Values
Not applicable
Turnaround Time
Turnaround times are relative to the time the specimen is received in the test laboratory.
STAT Turnaround Time: Not Available as STAT test
Routine Turnaround Time: 4 hours
Testing Schedule: 24/7
Clinical Indications
The determination of T4 can be utilized for the following indications: the detection of hyperthyroidism, the detection of primary and secondary hypothyroidism, and the monitoring of TSH-suppression therapy.
Test Components
T4 Total (Thyroxine)
Methodology
Electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA)
CPT Codes
84436
LOINC Codes
3026-2
Synonyms/Keyword Search
TT4, T4, T4, Total T4, Tetraiodothyronine, Thyroxine
Additional Information
- Results should always be assessed in conjunction with patient's medical history, clinical examination and other findings.
- The test cannot be used in patients receiving treatment with lipid-lowering agents containing D-T4. If the thyroid function is to be checked in such patients, the therapy should first be discontinued for 4-6 weeks to allow the physiological state to become re-established.
- Autoantibodies to thyroid hormones can interfere with the assay.
- Binding protein anomalies seen with FDH (familial dysalbuminemic hyperthyroxinemia), for example, may cause values which, while characteristic of the condition, deviate from the expected results.
Last Review Date
7/31/2024
Volume
Preferred Volume: 0.5 mL
Minimum Volume: 0.2 mL