[Study of postoperative amylasemia. Its diagnostic value in postoperative acute pancreatitis (PAP)]

Abstract

A study of the postoperative amylasemia levels on 375 different intervents is presented. Three different behaviours have been observed: 1) in 44 cases there has been a rapid increase of the amylasemia gone on for less than 4 days without any clinical sign of pancreatitis; 2) in 6 cases the increase, sometimes less marked than the previous cases, developed and continued for longer time, showing oscillations with a slow return to the normality. At the same time there was a slow recovery in the general conditions; the cause of that has been interpreted as a pancreatic affection; 3) in 8 cases the amylasemia increase developed for many days with large and long oscillation and clinical signs of APP. The opinion of Authors is that the APP is characterised by amylasemia increases presenting large oscillations life times exceeding 4 days, and that they are joined with clinical signs of pancreatitis (pain, sickness, hypotension, ec.). The study of the amylasemia plotting is considered to be a rather good method to emphasize a pancreatic disease.