Radioselenium pancreozymin-secretin test as a clinical test for pancreatic exocrine function

The appearance of radioselenium in the protein fraction of duodenal aspirates has been studied after an intravenous injection of 75-Se-selenomethionine. The continuous flow of pancreatic juice was stimulated by pancreozymin at 120 minutes and by secretin at 140 minutes. A good distinction between normal subjects and patients with pancreatic disease was obtained by measuring 75-Se-radioactivity in the protein fraction of duodenal aspirates; either cumulative radioactivity during the combined 80-minute post-pancreozymin-secretin period, or maximum 75-Se-specific activity during the postsecretin period was used as an index. The test presented here might be a useful and sufficiently reliable method for detecting abnormal pancreatic exocrine function. This test can be performed along with the conventional pancreozymin-secretin test, serum enzyme response to pancreozymin and secretin, and pancreatic scintiscanning.