THE EXOCRINE PANCREAS FUNCTION-TEST BY ORAL APPLICATION OF N-BENZOYL-L-TYROSYL-PARAAMINOBENZOIC ACID (BT-PABA-TEST) - AN ASSESSMENT FOLLOWING 5 YEARS CLINICAL-EXPERIENCE

  • 1 January 1980
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 110  (14) , 522-528
Abstract
Exocrine pancreatic function was assessed in 588 persons by oral administration of 1 g of the chymotrypsin-labile peptide N-benzoyl-L-tyrosyl-p-aminobenzoic acid (BT-PABA). The BT-PABA-test was performed in 126 controls, 217 patients with pancreatic diseases, 196 patients with various non-pancreatic gastrointestinal diseases, 18 patients with renal diseases and 31 patients with various other diagnoses. In 62 of 72 patients (86.1%) with chronic pancreatitis and in 19 of 25 patients with pancreatic carcinoma the excretion of p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) in the urine was significantly less than in the controls. In contrast, 328 of 353 controls and patients with nonpancreatic diseases (92.9%) had a PABA excretion within normal limits. The sensitivity and specificity of the BT-PABA observed in this study is sufficient to detect moderate to severe disturbances of exocrine pancreatic function. The replacement of the liquid test-meal by a standard breakfast and additional meals taken during the collection period 4 or 5 h after peptide intake did not influence the results of the BT-PABA-test, thus considerably simplifying the BT-PABA-test.