Clinical Usefulness of Gastric Acid Secretory Tests

Abstract

At present, gastric acid secretory tests cannot establish whether a patient has a peptic ulcer or cancer of the stomach or determine the prognosis. However, the physician who realizes exactly what information the tests can provide may find them useful tools. Technic, indications and interpretation are discussed for several methods of determining basal gastric acid secretion, for maximal (or augmented) gastric analysis, and for stimulation of acid secretion by insulin hypoglycemia.