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Updated: Aug 11, 2026
Assessing the Secretory Capacity of Pancreatic Acinar Cells
Published on: August 28, 2014
An Exocrine Pancreatic Stress Test with (11)C-Acetate PET and Secretin Stimulation
Joo Hyun O1, Martin A Lodge1, Sanjay Jagannath2
1Division of Nuclear Medicine, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
Unlabelled:
The purpose of this study was to develop a noninvasive imaging test of pancreatic exocrine function.
Methods:
In this pilot study, 5 healthy volunteers underwent two 60-min dynamic (11)C-acetate PET studies, one before and one after intravenous secretin administration. Kinetic analysis of the pancreas was performed using a 1-compartment model and an image-derived input function. From summed images, standardized uptake values were measured from the pancreas and the liver, and the pancreas-to-liver ratio was computed.
Results:
The baseline k1 and k2 data for all 5 volunteers were consistent. After secretin stimulation, the k1 and k2 significantly increased (paired t test P = 0.046 and P = 0.023, respectively). In the summed PET images, the pancreas-to-liver ratio decreased (P = 0.037). Increased (11)C-acetate activity was observed in the duodenum after secretin stimulation consistent with secretin-induced secretion.
Conclusion:
(11)C-acetate PET studies with secretin stimulation show potential as a noninvasive method for assessing pancreatic exocrine function.
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