Diagnostic and prognostic value of serum elastase 1 in acute pancreatitis

Serum elastase 1 was determined in the serum of 38 patients with acute pancreatitis, using specific radioimmunoassay technique. Serving as controls were 36 healthy people, 33 patients with chronic pancreatitis, 49 patients with various GI-tract diseases, and 6 patients with pancreatic carcinoma. Sensitivity of elastase 1 for the diagnosis "acute pancreatitis" was 97% after admission to the hospital and 100% within 48 h after onset of acute pancreatitis. The determination of elastase 1 is clearly superior to that of trypsin, pancreatic lipase, or pancreatic amylase, if diagnosis has to be made more than 48 h after the onset of the disease. The specificity is restricted, because there are some cases with chronic pancreatitis and GI-diseases with raised values. There is no possibility to estimate the severity of acute pancreatitis by measuring serum elastase 1.