Quantitative Determination of Fecal Chymotrypsin as a Screening test for Pancreatic Exocrine Insufficiency
Dyck, W.; Ammann, R.
American Journal of Digestive Diseases 10: 530-544
1965
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9211
PMID: 14295484
DOI: 10.1007/bf02233046
Accession: 025328571
The diagnostic value of fecal enzyme determinations (chymotrypsin + trypsin) utilizing specific substrates was confirmed in controls and patients with chronic pancreatic diseases in whom the pancreatic function was determined by the pancreozymin-secretin test. All patients with severe and moderate pancreatic exocrine insufficiency revealed fecal chymotrypsin values below 74 [mu]g/g. Another group of patients with mild impairment of pancreatic function demonstrated chymotrypsin values between 74-100 [mu]g/g. Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency seems unlikely when several stool specimens show chymotrypsin values greater than 100 [mu]g/g. The determination of fecal trypsin activity in humans seems to be of no help from the practical standpoint because of the great overlap of results between normal controls and patients with pancreatic exocrine insufficiency.