The róle of serum enzyme assay in the diagnosis of chronic pancreatic disease is still debatable. In the serum of 126 controls, 86 patients with chronic pancreatitis and 31 patients with pancreatic cancer, amylase, trypsin and lipase levels were measured. No enzyme showed any relevant diagnostic value. However, in about half of the patients with chronic pancreatitis, serum trypsin levels were below the 95 % confidence limit of the controls and very low levels of this enzyme were found in the presence of a severe pancreatic impairment. We conclude that thè serum assay of these enzymes should not be recommended for diagnostic purposes and that only a strongly reduced serum trypsin can be considered somewhat clinically useful.
Serum levels of amilase, of lipase and trypsin in patients with chronic pancreatitis and with pancreatic cancer
VAONA, Bruna;BENINI, Luigi;VANTINI, Italo;CAVALLINI, Giorgio;SCURO, Alberto
1985-01-01
Abstract
The róle of serum enzyme assay in the diagnosis of chronic pancreatic disease is still debatable. In the serum of 126 controls, 86 patients with chronic pancreatitis and 31 patients with pancreatic cancer, amylase, trypsin and lipase levels were measured. No enzyme showed any relevant diagnostic value. However, in about half of the patients with chronic pancreatitis, serum trypsin levels were below the 95 % confidence limit of the controls and very low levels of this enzyme were found in the presence of a severe pancreatic impairment. We conclude that thè serum assay of these enzymes should not be recommended for diagnostic purposes and that only a strongly reduced serum trypsin can be considered somewhat clinically useful.
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