[Current techniques for investigating exocrine pancreatic function in children]

The exocrine pancreas produces many of the enzymes responsible for the digestion of food. Severe alterations in exocrine pancreas function cause malabsorption which predominantly affects fats. Unfortunately, because it is a deep organ the pancreas is a difficult target for investigations. A large number of diagnostic tests have been developed to gather information on pancreatic function with minimal invasiveness. Although helpful in everyday practice, each of these methods investigates only one of the multiple components of pancreatic secretory function and all are relatively insensitive, i.e., detect only severe secretion deficiencies. Furthermore, none of these tests can evaluate water and electrolyte secretion. Consequently, invasive duodenal juice studies with stimulation remain the "gold standard" for evaluating exocrine pancreas function.