[The fluorescein dilaurate serum test following metoclopramide and secretin stimulation for evaluating pancreatic function. Contribution to the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis].

A new method of exocrine pancreatic function testing is described. After oral administration of a standard meal containing fluorescein dilaurate (FDL) metoclopramide (10 mg) and secretin (1 U/kg) are given as intravenous bolus injection. The best discrimination between normal and abnormal pancreatic function was found to be the individual peak serum fluorescein concentration within 180 minutes. 184 patients were studied and divided into 4 groups according to the final diagnosis: group 1: 44 healthy controls; group 2: 87 patients with chronic pancreatitis; group 3: 21 patients with different pancreatic diseases; group 4: 32 patients with different gastrointestinal disorders. Sensitivity of the FDL serum-test in detecting chronic pancreatitis was 87%, specificity was 97%. Considering patients with different gastrointestinal disorders specificity dropped to 77%. FDL serum-test revealed superior as compared to the FDL urine test. Correlation between FDL serum-test and secretin ceruletide test was significant (r = 0.72, p less than 0.001).