[Postoperative hyperamylasemia in patients undergoing abdominal surgery: the relationship between serum and...

This study was undertaken to investigate the incidence of postoperative hyperamylasemia and amylase levels of intraperitoneal drainage in 106 patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. The results were as follows: 1. Postoperative hyperamylasemia was found in 36.8% of all patients, with higher incidence of hyperamylasemia being in accordance with greater surgical intervention to the pancreas. 2. The isoamylase pattern of postoperative hyperamylasemia was dominant in the salivary type. 3. The levels of such serum pancreatic enzymes as lipase, trypsin and elastase 1 were higher in the pancreatic-type group than in the salivary-type group, particularly with the elastase 1 levels being statistically higher in the former. 4. Increases in peritoneal amylase activity were found in those cases of greater surgical intervention to the pancreas, postoperative hyperamylasemia and higher serum pancreatic isoamylase levels. 5. Diagnosis of postoperative pancreatitis was confirmed in one case by clinical and laboratory findings and CT examination. It might be concluded that postoperative high peritoneal amylase levels suggest occurrence or possible occurrence of postoperative pancreatitis.