Chronic pancreatitis laboratory findings
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
Laboratory Findings
The diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis is typically based on tests on pancreatic structure and function, as direct biopsy of the pancreas is considered excessively risky.
Serum amylase and lipase may well not be elevated in cases of advanced chronic pancreatitis, but are often used as markers for detecting pancreatic inflammation in acute pancreatitis.
A secretin stimulation test is considered the gold standard functional test for diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis. The observation that bi-carbonate production is impaired early in chronic pancreatitis has led to the rationale of use of this test in early stages of disease (sensitivity of 95%).
Other common tests used to determine chronic pancreatitis are faecal elastase measurement in stool, serum trypsinogen.