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Table 2 Overview of (i) the frequency of reporting of the various AC patterns, (ii) the estimation whether a pattern should be classified as competent, and (iii) the clinical relevance (1 is the lowest and 5 the highest score) of the various AC patterns. The reported range represents the minimum and maximum number of responders to the specific questions posed

From: Current laboratory and clinical practices in reporting and interpreting anti-nuclear antibody indirect immunofluorescence (ANA IIF) patterns: results of an international survey

  (i) Reporting (%) (ii) Competent (%) (iii) Clinical relevance score 1–2 (%) (iii) Clinical relevance score 4–5 (%)
Laboratory Clinicians Laboratory Laboratory Clinicians Laboratory Clinicians
Competent Expert Total   Competent Expert Total Competent Expert Total   Competent Expert Total  
n = 200–209 n = 213–220 n = 423–438 n = 170–177 n = 182–185 n = 202–208 n = 390–400 n = 175–182 n = 197–201 n = 378–388 n = 147–154 n = 175–182 n = 197–201 n = 378–388 n = 147–154
Nuclear
 Homogeneous AC-1 97.1 97.7 97.3 93.2 91.4 87.0 89.0 3.9 6.0 4.9 17.0 88.4 91.5 90.2 70.6
 Speckled AC-2,4,5 91.9 90.0 90.8 92.0 91.4 87.4 89.2 2.3 7.5 6.2 14.5 79.1 75.4 77.5 63.8
 Dense fine speckled AC-2 47.8 75.6 62.4 54.9 56.0 44.4 49.7 11.7 30.8 27.6 31.1 42.8 39.4 41.1 35.1
 Fine AC-4 51.5 73.6 63.3 60.9 53.8 54.6 54.8 6.8 10.6 12.2 30.2 55.0 66.7 61.5 37.6
 Large AC-5 54.1 73.7 64.7 40.9 57.8 56.9 57.8 7.0 9.1 11.7 34.5 56.9 70.2 64.2 29.7
 Centromere AC-3 99.0 98.2 98.4 90.3 89.7 87.3 88.4 0.8 4.5 3.1 7.8 93.4 93.0 93.3 83.8
 Discrete nuclear dots AC-6,7 85.4 84.9 85.2 72.4 87.0 80.8 83.8 4.1 8.0 8.3 29.1 65.2 63.8 64.5 43.7
 multiple AC-6 60.8 85.4 73.8 43.6 65.8 48.8 57.1 8.1 10.6 13.5 44.6 47.8 68.2 58.3 25.0
 few AC-7 56.4 80.4 69.3 35.3 64.5 47.8 56.0 10.7 31.3 26.8 44.6 32.8 36.9 35.2 21.6
 Nucleolar AC-8,9,10 94.7 94.0 94.2 83.9 90.8 86.3 88.4 3.4 6.0 6.5 17.4 77.2 80.4 79.2 61.1
 Homogeneous AC-8 32.8 52.5 43.3 51.4 37.5 32.4 34.9 10.0 14.6 17.6 30.5 44.6 59.6 52.8 36.4
 Clumpy AC-9 20.8 46.0 34.0 18.6 25.7 20.6 23.4 11.3 15.7 19.4 47.6 38.4 60.1 50.1 23.1
 Punctate AC-10 17.8 46.0 32.9 22.8 24.0 19.6 22.1 12.6 15.7 20.8 46.3 35.2 60.6 48.9 21.1
 Nuclear envelope AC-11,12 68.1 85.3 77.0 34.3 75.4 69.6 72.3 6.3 12.1 12.5 47.6 54.2 68.7 61.9 23.8
 Smooth AC-11 19.7 49.1 35.3 19.4 26.2 20.1 23.6 13.4 23.2 25.4 51.0 29.2 47.0 38.7 17.0
 Punctate AC-12 17.8 43.1 31.4 17.1 20.8 13.2 17.5 12.8 19.2 22.8 51.0 30.3 57.6 45.0 17.7
 Pleiomorphic AC-13,14 49.5 70.7 60.6 28.1 59.2 49.5 54.4 10.9 16.1 19.3 49.0 36.9 52.8 45.3 22.4
 PCNA AC-13 46.8 83.4 65.7 45.9 39.9 32.0 36.1 9.9 14.1 17.3 32.2 44.4 60.1 53.1 38.9
 CENP-F AC-14 28.2 65.0 47.2 41.5 24.6 21.2 23.2 12.6 28.9 27.6 33.1 30.3 37.1 34.1 40.5
Cytoplasmic
 Fibrillar AC-15,16,17 67.8 76.4 72.1 50.3 72.3 70.1 71.4 11.3 23.7 23.6 43.9 39.5 41.4 41.2 28.4
 Linear AC-15 48.0 72.6 61.0 35.1 50.3 40.7 45.2 11.5 15.7 19.7 47.3 44.1 56.6 50.9 22.3
 Filamentous AC-16 32.2 54.8 44.2 28.7 31.7 28.1 30.0 18.7 44.9 42.2 49.3 18.3 21.7 20.6 16.9
 Segmental AC-17 21.5 40.2 31.2 18.7 26.8 22.2 24.7 17.7 49.7 43.7 53.1 20.0 17.8 19.3 13.6
 Speckled AC-18,19,20 67.8 81.3 74.8 52.0 72.8 73.5 73.2 7.3 19.7 17.5 47.0 50.0 50.0 50.3 28.2
 Discrete dots AC-18 34.8 71.0 53.8 25.1 41.0 36.5 38.7 16.6 42.1 38.4 53.7 25.4 24.4 25.3 18.4
 Dense fine speckled AC-19 35.6 67.4 52.3 37.1 39.3 32.0 35.6 11.8 19.7 22.0 45.3 40.7 56.1 49.1 20.3
 Fine speckled AC-20 38.1 74.9 57.3 42.4 38.8 34.0 36.2 9.4 18.2 18.9 44.2 44.1 56.6 50.7 23.8
 Reticular AC-21 65.0 89.9 78.1 49.4 72.1 75.0 73.8 5.5 6.6 8.9 39.6 72.3 84.8 79.3 38.9
 Polar / Golgi-like AC-22 71.4 87.6 79.5 42.1 67.2 63.5 65.3 17.6 43.9 40.4 53.4 33.9 21.7 27.3 23.6
 Rods and rings AC-23 52.5 72.8 62.7 27.1 60.7 53.7 56.9 20.8 52.3 47.9 51.7 24.3 18.8 21.3 23.8
Mitotic
 Centrosome AC-24 61.1 78.6 70.3 43.5 57.1 48.5 52.8 18.4 54.3 46.6 43.9 23.2 20.3 21.6 30.4
 Spindle fibers AC-25 61.6 82.7 72.5 31.8 57.9 46.6 52.2 18.3 51.5 45.0 48.6 23.6 19.7 21.5 20.3
 NuMA AC-26 44.8 75.9 61.0 31.0 44.0 32.0 38.1 16.0 37.9 35.7 52.3 26.0 32.3 29.7 24.2
 Intercellular bridge AC-27 45.3 74.4 60.2 24.1 48.4 39.4 43.7 20.5 56.9 50.0 54.4 19.8 17.3 18.7 13.6
 Mitotic chromosomal AC-28 24.8 47.9 36.8 24.1 27.5 24.1 25.8 21.6 57.4 51.3 56.5 16.4 13.2 15.0 15.0
  1. For each question, the results per pattern, are presented as percentages of the total laboratory (competent and expert reported separately) and clinician respondents. The competent patterns are highlighted in bold. The reported range represents the minimum and maximum number of responders to the specific questions posed