 Extracellular vesicles, EVs, have become increasingly important in clinical laboratory medicine due to their potential use in disease diagnosis and prognosis. However, the purity of these vesicles has been a source of debate as there are currently no specific markers to identify them. This has led to difficulties in obtaining high-purity EVs, which can be problematic when conducting biomarker-based clinical tests. To address this issue, we propose an alternative approach to focus on the significance of EVs rather than their purity. By doing so, it is possible to achieve adequate levels of EV enrichment without compromising on the quality of the samples. This review discusses the current definition of EVs, markers, and contaminants, isolation methods, and the conclusions drawn from clinical studies using less pure but easier to operate EV isolation methods. This article was authored by Li Mingzhang, Wensui Ma, Sinegon, and others. We are article.tv, links in the description below.