Increased Renal Clearance of Amylase in Pancreatitis

To evaluate the specificity of any new method for diagnosing a disease, the correct diagnosis must first be definitively established by means independent of the test being evaluated. When the test under consideration is for the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis, a problem arises in that an operation is contraindicated, and even when surgery is performed, pathological specimens of the pancreas are seldom obtained. For lack of a better technic, the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis usually depends on demonstration of an elevated serum or urinary amylase level although such elevations are occasionally observed in a variety of other conditions such as….