Clinical evaluation of caerulein-secretin test for the biliary and exocrine pancreatic function

Abstract

After intubation of Bartelheimer's tube into the duodenum, caerulein in dose of 0.1 μg/kg was injected intramuscularly, followed by intravenous admistration of secretin in dose of 1unit/kg. Duodenal aspirates were collected at the interval of 10minutes during 40 minutes after caerulein and 60minutes after secretin administration. In 70 patients, involving 24 patients with gallstone, 10 patients with pacreatic disease, 7 patients with peptic ulcer and 12 normal persons, caerulein-secretin test was carried out, and results obtained in this test were compared and discussed with that of pancreozymin-secretin test.
Icteric index and bicarbonate concentration of duodenal aspirates in caerulein-secretin test were higher than in pancreozymin-secretin test, but no significant differences were observed in total volume and amylase output between both tests. These findings were observed not only in normal persons but in patients with various digestive diseases.
Thus, caerulein seemed to be a potent stimulant for the contraction of gall bladder and exocrine pancreatic secretion, so caerulein-secretin test is available for diagnosing biliary dysfunction and pancreatic impairment.