Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency: Comparing fecal elastase 1 with 72-h stool for fecal fat estimation

Introduction Identification of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) is important in the management of chronic pancreatitis. The 72-h stool for fecal fat estimation (FFE) has long been considered a gold standard indirect test for the diagnosis of PEI. However, the test is cumbersome for both patients and laboratory personnel alike. In this study, we aimed to assess fecal elastase 1 (FE1) as an alternate to FFE for the diagnosis of PEI. Methods In all, 87 consecutive patients diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis were included in this study. FFE and FE1 estimation was done for all the patients. For FE1, two cutoffs (