title: Fecal fat concentration in the screening of steatorrhea.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Divisione di Gastroenterologia, Università di Verona, Italia.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Benini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Caliari
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bonfante
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bardelli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castellani
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sembenini
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Brentegani
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Vantini
mesh_terms: 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