La Revue de médecine interne
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The availability of a sensitive, specific and prognostic marker of bacterial infection is a major issue. More than ten years after the first publication assessing the usefulness of serum procalcitonin dosage (PCT), its exact place in the diagnostic process remained to be defined. The purpose of this review is to point out the indications of PCT measurement in clinical practice in the adult population. ⋯ After the first published study reporting the usefulness of PCT as a screening biological tool in emergency medicine, future studies will probably refined the place of PCT in such practice fields: decision about inpatient or outpatient management or antibiotics dispensation. Finally, PCT measurement could help physician in screening which septic patients should benefit from sepsis innovative therapeutics.