[Diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis]

The fact that a large number of pancreatic explorations have been proposed shows that now are really satisfactory. Generally speaking, it is true that instrumental techniques are relatively affirmative, whereas less aggressive methods are more uncertain. It is shown that a proper association of simple tests offers the general practitioner a 75% certainty of diagnosing pancreatic disease. Scintiscanning, zonography, angiography and retrograde pancreatography have been proposed in recent years, but they are complicated and demand considerable experience. In combination, they permit certain diagnosis in about 95% of cases. An experimenter may specialise in one or several of these techniques. Diagnosis of pancreatic disease is beyond the capacity of the general practitioner and requires the cooperation of several specialists, or examination at a large medical centre.