title: Pancreatic exocrine function and morphology following an episode of acute pancreatitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to assess pancreatic exocrine function (PEF) and morphology in patients recovering from a first episode of acute pancreatitis (AP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-five eligible patients recovering from AP and 70 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. We evaluated PEF by fecal elastase 1 (FE-1) and used ultrasonography to detect pancreatic morphology for all patients and 40 controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) incidence in the severe and mild AP subgroups was 60.5% and 39.5%, respectively. The FE-1 level in patients who had undergone surgical care was significantly lower compared with the controls (P < 0.01), whereas no difference was observed between the alcoholic and nonalcoholic groups (P > 0.05). Surprisingly, the defecation change correlated with the EPI level. In these patients, a stepwise recovery was observed over the following 2.4 years. Compared with the controls, the diameter of pancreatic duct was enlarged, and abdominal pain during recovery was found to be the independent risk factor for pancreatic duct expansion, although a significant difference was not exhibited between the AP subgroups concerning FE-1 concentration (P = 0.591).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicated that many AP patients may have long-lasting EPI and an expanded main pancreatic duct; thus, routine evaluation of PEF is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai 10th People's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Tongji University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yaping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Deqing
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Xingpeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002681:China; D004796:Clinical Enzyme Tests; D003672:Defecation; D010188:Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005243:Feces / Q000201:enzymology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D046790:Pancreas, Exocrine / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010183:Pancreatic Ducts / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000032:analysis*; D010186:Pancreatic Function Tests; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014463:Ultrasonography
chemical_list: D010196:Pancreatic Elastase