Macroamylasemia: a simple stepwise approach to diagnosis.

Typically, macroamylasemia is a condition of elevated serum amylase in the absence of symptomatic disease. However, in the presence of symptoms, especially of abdominal origin, it is important that this condition be identified accurately in order to avoid unnecessary treatment for pancreatitis or other related diseases. This report offers a review of the literature, a case example, and an algorithm for systematically considering the diagnosis of macroamylasemia.