I have received a report that states the result is “>” (greater than) or “<” (less than). What does this mean and why I can’t obtain a numerical result?

Laboratory methods can accurately report results within specified ranges which have been confirmed for each test. The “>” or “<” on a report indicates that the concentration in the sample is either greater than or less than the measureable limits of that test. If the result is clinically abnormal it will be flagged as either “HI” or “LO”.