Serum amylase and lipase determinations have long been a mainstay in the diagnosis of pancreatic disease. Many investigators1-10 have indicated that the urinary output of amylase may be elevated more consistently in acute pancreatic disease than the serum concentration of either amylase or lipase. These earlier studies have been based on the following three assumptions: (1) that the concentration of both amylase and lipase in the blood is related to the state of function or injury of the pancreas; (2) that the quantity of enzyme excreted in the urine is related to the amount passing into the blood from the pancreas; and (3) that the amount of enzyme inactivated in the urine is either negligible or is a constant fraction of the total quantity of enzyme excreted.
The purpose of the current investigation was to establish the relationship, if any, between serum concentration and urinary output of both amylase