An Evaluation of the One-Day NBT-PABA/14C-PABA in the Assessment of Pancreatic Exocrine Insufficiency

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Abstract
The 1 day NBT-PABA/14C-PABA [N-benzoyl-L-tyrosyl-p-aminobenzoic acid/14C-p-aminobenzoic acid] was performed on 58 consecutive subjects with suspected or established pancreatic disease. Twenty-three of these were normal subjects, 12 were subsequently shown to have other gastrointestinal disease and 23 had proven pancreatic disease. A PABA excretion index (PEI) was calculated and, using the lower limit of normality (0.61), the test has shown an overall sensitivity of 83% and specificity of 89%. False positives were a particular problem in the other gastrointestinal disease group (25%). There was a close correlation between PEI and Lundh mean tryptic activity (r = 0.89). This test is a satisfactory screening test for pancreatic exocrine disease and is easier to perform with less likelihood of error than many other noninvasive tests of pancreatic function.