Prospective evaluation of endoscopic ultrasonography, endoscopic retrograde pancreatography, and secretin test in the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Secretin, published as a clinical trial.

The aim of this study was to determine whether endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) high-resolution imaging allows for the detection of chronic pancreatitis as compared with clinical history, ERCP, and secretin test.

Why It Was Studied

Chronic pancreatitis in its early stages may defy diagnosis despite existing diagnostic modalities.

Endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERCP), secretin test, and conventional ultrasound are insensitive in detecting the early stages of chronic pancreatitis.

Who Took Part

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

Eighty consecutive patients with recurrent pancreatitis underwent ERCP, EUS, and secretin test.

EUS criteria for chronic pancreatitis included mild (1 to 2 features), moderate (3 to 5 features), and severe (more than 5 features).

How the Study Was Run

EUS evaluated parenchymal changes: echogenic foci (calcification), prominent interlobular septae (fibrosis), small cystic cavities (edema), lobulated outer gland margin (fibrosis/atrophy), and heterogeneous parenchyma; and ductal changes: dilation, irregularity, echogenic wall (fibrosis), side-branch ectasia, and echogenic foci (stones).

What Was Measured

Endoscopic retrograde pancreatography (ERCP), secretin test, and conventional ultrasound are insensitive in detecting the early stages of chronic pancreatitis.

Topics PubMed links to this paper include Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde, Chronic Disease, Endosonography, Evaluation Studies as Topic, Pancreatitis and Secretin.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a clinical trial of Secretin.

Its findings take up roughly 7 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 1998 (Gastrointestinal endoscopy), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Secretin compound page, all human trials.