[Continuously measuring procedures for the determination of alpha-amylase in serum. Comparison with amyloklastic and chromolytic methods (author's transl)].

Alpha-amylase has been measured in 57 patients' sera with normal to highly elevated amylase activities. The results obtained with four enzymatic-kinetic test-kits have been compared with those from five conventional marketed procedures. The results are evaluated by regression analysis. The specificity of the methods was analysed with amylase samples from human pancreas, human saliva and pig pancreas. The susceptibility of the kinetic procedures to interferences is smaller. The problems of conversion of activity units and reference ranges are discussed. The UltraZyme and the Monamyl neu-methods have been found superior to the other procedures because of their good practicability, precision and broad linear range; their specificity for diagnostic purposes in pancreatic diseases is less favourable compared with that of conventional procedures.