Clinical Lab Handbook

Urine: Timed urine collection, preferably a 2-4 hour urine collection, with no preservative

Note: Starting and ending times of collection are required.

This procedure provides instructions for quantitatively measuring amylase concentration in urine using VITROS AMY slides.

Amylase is a relatively small protein and is therefore filtered readily into the urine. Assays of amylase activity in serum and urine are largely of use in the diagnosis of diseases of the pancreas and in the investigation of pancreatic function. In acute pancreatitis, a transient rise in serum amylase occurs within 2 to 12 hours of the onset. Levels return to normal by the third or fourth day. A four to six fold elevation in amylase above the reference limit is usual with maximum levels attained in 12 to 72 hours. Urine amylase, as compared with serum amylase, appears to be more frequently elevated, reaches higher levels, and persists for longer periods. The urinary clearance of amylase is markedly elevated in acute pancreatitis. Other causes of elevation include: pancreatic abscess or pseudocyst, pancreatic trauma, amyloidosis, pancreatic neoplasm, common-bile-duct obstruction, and may be found in mumps parotitis and renal insufficiency.

0.02-0.28 units/minute

Monday through Sunday

81050-Urine timed measurement

82150-Amylase