[First experiences with a new oral human pancreas function test with special emphasis on gastric voiding]

1 g of N--benzoyl-L-tyrosyl-PABA was administered orally to 50 test persons, i.e. controls and patients with known pancreatic disease. In the presence of chymotrypsin, paraaminobenzoic acid (PABA) is split from the peptide and excreted in the urine. The amount of PABA excreted serves as parameter of exocrine pancreatic function. In the control group a mean of 59.2 +/- 6.2% of the peptide PABA was excreted over a period of 6 h. PABA excretion in exocrine pancreatic deficiency was significantly less (p less than 0.001) than in controls. No overlap of data was noted. Gastric emptying rate - estimated by using indium-113m microcolloid - did not appear to influence urinary PABA excretion.