The use of the Rapignost strip for estimating urinary amylase levels

The Rapignost-Amylase urinary test strip (Behringwerke Laboratories) provides an estimation of urine amylase which takes a few minutes and is easy to perform. During a period of 9 months, 84 patients had their urine tested with this strip by casualty officers in the Accident and Emergency Department of St George's Hospital, London. In addition, urine amylase, and plasma amylase and creatinine were measured in the chemical pathology laboratory. In all but one instance, the result of the strip test agreed with the laboratory result. The Rapignost strip should prove useful in screening for acute pancreatitis in situations where there is likely to be a delay in obtaining a laboratory amylase result.