Value of a spectroscopic "fecalogram" in determining the etiology of steatorrhea

We have developed a "fecalogram" to present the analytical results for four characteristics of fecal specimens: dry weight, total nitrogen, total fat, and hydrolyzed fat, measured by near-infrared spectroscopy. This technique gives results as precise as those of more traditional analyses for these four components. The respective correlation coefficients are 0.973, 0.960, 0.974, and 0.978. The CVs for this technique range from 1.19% to 2.88%. Among the digestive disorders revealed by this fecalogram is steatorrhea, which can be differentiated as being of pancreatic or intestinal etiology. The percentage of total fat that is hydrolyzed is significantly (P less than 0.0001) greater in patients with malabsorption (greater than 70%) than in those with maldigestion (less than 70%).