Clinical study of exocrine pancreatic function test by oral administration by N-benzoyl-L-tyrosyl-p-aminobenzoic acid.

The clinical usefulness of a simple exocrine pancreatic function diagnostic test (PFT) was examined by the oral administration of 500 mg of N-benzoyl-L-tyrosyl-p-aminobenzoic acid. Recovery of p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) in the urine was significantly lower in patients with calcifying chronic pancreatitis (58.6%) and noncalcifying chronic pancreatitis (68.6%) than in healthy normal subjects (81.0%; p less than 0.001 and p less than 0.05, respectively). Abnormally low values were demonstrated in 15 out of 19 (78.9%) chronic pancreatitis cases. In comparing the PFT with the pancreozymin secretin test, a good correlation (P less than 0.001) with maximum bicarbonate concentration was detected. In cases which were abnormal with respect to the PFT, the recovery rate of PABA was increased by the administration of antacids or digestive enzyme preparations (average increase of 24.1 or 29.8%, respectively). These results suggest that this test is also useful for the evaluation of therapeutic effects in patients with pancreatic diseases.