Chronic Pancreatitis Diagnosis

Besides asking about a person's medical history and doing a physical exam, a doctor will use certain tests to help diagnose chronic pancreatitis.

 

New Techniques in Chronic Pancreatitis Diagnosis

Making a chronic pancreatitis diagnosis may be difficult, but new techniques can help.

 

Pancreatic function tests help a doctor decide whether the pancreas is still making enough digestive enzymes.

 

Using ultrasonic imaging, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and CT scans, a doctor can see problems indicating chronic pancreatitis. Such problems include calcification of the pancreas, in which tissue hardens from deposits of insoluble calcium salts.

  

Diagnosing Chronic Pancreatitis in More Advanced Stages

In more advanced stages of chronic pancreatitis, when diabetes and malabsorption occur, a doctor can use a number of blood, urine, and stool tests to help diagnose chronic pancreatitis and to monitor its progression.