Which banding pattern would indicate a monoclonal gammopathy in serum protein electrophoresis?

The indication of monoclonal gammopathy in serum protein electrophoresis is characterized by the presence of a sharp spike in the gamma region. This specific pattern suggests that there is an abnormal increase in immunoglobulins produced by a clone of plasma cells, which is typical in conditions such as multiple myeloma or certain types of lymphoma.

The sharp spike represents a significant concentration of a single type of immunoglobulin, distinguishing it from polyclonal responses where multiple immunoglobulin types would be present in broader and less distinct bands. The gamma region is the area of the electrophoresis chart that highlights the immunoglobulin bands, and a spike here signals an overproduction resulting from a pathological process involving a specific clone of cells.

In contrast, other patterns such as a broad band in the alpha 2 region or a normal distribution would not suggest a monoclonal process, as they indicate either a more typical immune response or varied types of immunoglobulins respectively, which are consequences of healthy or reactive conditions rather than a single, overactive clone.