Assessment of Exocrine Pancreatic Function During Endoscopy in Children
Karoly Horvath1, Devendra I Mehta1, Ivor D Hill2
1Center for Digestive Health and Nutrition, Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, The Florida State University, Orlando, FL.
Insights
This review covers pancreatic enzyme secretion and endoscopic function testing for diagnosing pancreatic disorders. It highlights the utility of this method in children and emerging fluid markers.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Pancreatology
- Diagnostic Endoscopy
Background:
- Exocrine pancreatic function is crucial for digestion.
- Assessing pancreatic function aids in diagnosing various gastrointestinal disorders.
- Endoscopic techniques offer direct visualization and sampling of pancreatic secretions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the physiology of pancreatic enzyme secretion.
- To evaluate the role and utility of stimulated endoscopic pancreatic function testing.
- To describe emerging biomarkers in pancreatic fluid for improved diagnosis.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of pediatric and adult studies.
- Focus on endoscopic pancreatic function testing techniques.
- Analysis of clinical utility in differential diagnosis.
Main Results:
- Endoscopic pancreatic function testing is a valuable diagnostic tool.
- The technique is particularly useful in pediatric pancreatic disorders.
- Emerging markers in pancreatic fluid show clinical promise.
Conclusions:
- Stimulated endoscopic testing is a key method for assessing exocrine pancreatic function.
- This approach is vital for the differential diagnosis of pancreatic diseases, especially in children.
- Future research directions include the application of novel pancreatic fluid biomarkers.
Abstract:
This article will review briefly the physiology of pancreatic enzyme secretion and the role of stimulated endoscopic testing for assessing exocrine pancreatic function. Published studies in both the pediatric and adult literature are reviewed. The technique and utility of endoscopic pancreatic function testing as the method of choice in the differential diagnosis of pancreatic disorders in childhood is described. Finally, emerging, clinically useful markers that can be measured in the pancreatic fluid will be described.
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