Radioimmunoassay of serum gastrin in chronic digestive diseases with epigastric pain.

Basal and stimulated (after a standard meal) serum gastrin was determined by means of the radioimmunoassay method in 27 patients with epigastric pain that could not be diagnosed in the outpatient departement. An individual study of the patients with high (up to 300 pg/ml) basal and stimulated serum gastrin levels showed that most gastroduodenal diseases are situated within this range while levels of 500 pg/ml suggest Zollinger-Ellison syndrome. The test of serum gastrin stimulated with a standard protein-rich meal was proved more valuable than the basal one. Further investigations would be necessary to demonstrate the value of this test in the diagnosis of gastroduodenal ulcer, gastrites or gastric cancer.