The pancreozymin-secretin test after partial gastrectomy.

The administration of pancreozymin and secretin to eight control patients and 18 patients after partial gastrectomy caused no rise in serum amylase levels above normal. Four postgastrectomy patients had unexplained elevations of basal serum lipase levels but in only one did the lipase increase above the basal level after stimulation.Duodenal aspirates from the control group and from one patient with a Billroth I gastrectomy showed a wide range of values for volume, bicarbonate and amylase content. This would appear to limit the diagnostic value of the test. The two-tube method used for collecting duodenal contents proved difficult.