Abstract
Diagnostic significance of measurement of serum pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI) has been studied. Serum PSTI content was determined by radioimmunoassay recently developed in our laboratory. The assay range in the RIA was 0.4-100ng/ml. The dilution curves of serum and urine run parallel with the standard curve. The assay was shown to be highly specific and reproducible.
Serum PSTI level in healthy control was measured to be 10.1±2.6ng/ml (mean±S. D.). In acute pancreatitis and active stage of chronic relapsing pancreatitis, it was significantly elevated (the highest value; 3,200ng/ml). However, no correlation of serum PSTI and amylase was observed.
In a case of acute pancreatitis, elevation of serum PSTI with clinical signs was observed for about 2 weeks after onset, though, serum amylase level returned to its normal range within a few days.
Thus serum PSTI content reflects more exactly the severity and pathological course of acute and chronic relapsing pancreatitis than serum amylase activity.
