Fecal fat concentration in the screening of steatorrhea.
We studied if the fecal fat concentration as measured by the near infrared reflectance analysis in a spot sample is an acceptable screening test for malabsorption. This measurement was compared with the more complex fat balance in 120 patients with a suspected malabsorption [53 with chronic pancreatic disorders (CP), 67 with other digestive disorders (nCP)]. The fecal fat concentration proved to be well correlated with steatorrhea in CP (r = 0.86) but not in nCP (r = 0.35). A fat concentration of 9 g% had a sensitivity and a specificity for steatorrhea of 88.8% and of 97.1% in CP, but only of 53.8% and of 94.4% respectively in nCP. The fecal fat concentration was significantly higher in CP than in nCP, even considering patients with steatorrhea only; however, the overlap between the two groups was too high to suggest a clinical usefulness of this test in the differential diagnosis of steatorrheas. It is concluded that the fat concentration in a small sample, easily obtained also in outpatients, is useful in the selection of patients with chronic pancreatitis to submit to a proper fat balance study.
Benini
L
L
Divisione di Gastroenterologia, Università di Verona, Italia.
Caliari
S
S
Bonfante
F
F
Bardelli
E
E
Castellani
G
G
Sembenini
C
C
Brentegani
M T
MT
Vantini
I
I
D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared