title: Immunoreactive elastase I: clinical evaluation of a new noninvasive test of pancreatic function.
abstract: We have evaluated the diagnostic value of the fecal elastase test in comparison with the secretin-pancreozymin test in the diagnosis of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Pancreatic elastase was measured immunologically. Immunoreactive elastase activity in spot stools from controls ranged from 136 to 4440 microgram/g; 95% of all values were within 175 to 1500 microgram/g. The elastase assay CVs ranged from 3.3% to 6.3% (intraassay) and from 4.1% to 10.2% (interassay). The output of elastase correlated well with those of amylase, lipase, and trypsin, yielding respective correlation coefficients of 0.83, 0.82, and 0.84 in controls and 0.86, 0.91, and 0.91 in patients with impaired pancreatic function. In contrast to fecal chymotrypsin, the test results were unaffected by pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy. These results indicate that fecal immunoreactive elastase may be recommended as a new, noninvasive tubeless test of pancreatic function.
authors.affiliation: Division of Gastroenterology, 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sziegoleit
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zeuzem
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Caspary
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lembcke
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002918:Chymotrypsin / Q000032:analysis; D004796:Clinical Enzyme Tests; D004795:Enzyme Stability; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D010188:Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000201:enzymology; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010179:Pancreas / Q000201:enzymology*; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000032:analysis*; D010186:Pancreatic Function Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D002918:Chymotrypsin; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase