Experience with the 'Triple Test' in pancreatic disease

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Diagnostic Medicine

Background:

• Pancreatic and ampullary cancers present diagnostic challenges.
• Chronic pancreatitis requires accurate and timely diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of the Triple Test (TT) as a screening tool for pancreatic and ampullary carcinoma.
• To assess the utility of the TT in differentiating pancreatic diseases from non-pancreatic conditions.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of the secretin-pancreozymin test, duodenal aspirate cytology, and hypotonic duodenography (the Triple Test).
• Single duodenal intubation procedure performed on patients with pancreatic/ampullary carcinoma, chronic pancreatitis, and non-pancreatic disease.

Main Results:

• The Triple Test yielded abnormal results in 35 out of 36 (97.2%) patients with carcinoma.
• All 11 patients (100%) with chronic pancreatitis showed abnormal TT results.
• 116 out of 170 (68.2%) patients with non-pancreatic disease had normal TT results.

Conclusions:

• The Triple Test demonstrates high sensitivity for detecting pancreatic and ampullary carcinoma.
• The TT is a valuable screening method for identifying patients with chronic pancreatitis.
• The Triple Test shows potential as a useful screening tool for pancreatic diseases.