Measurement of faecal fat excretion: an evaluation of attitudes and practices of Australian gastroenterologists

Abstract

Although continued availability of 72-h faecal fat estimation is supported by many Australian gastroenterologists, the test appears to be often performed and interpreted suboptimally. Rather than discard the test, efforts should more appropriately be directed to improving baseline knowledge to ensure its optimal performance and interpretation.

Addressing current treatment challenges in Crohn's disease in real life: A physician's survey

“…The response rate of 38% may appear low. However, the rate is in line respectively rather above the typical response rates from survey studies in physicians [45][46][47][48] , known to be notoriously lower than in patient surveys 48 . More importantly, we believe in accurate representativity of our sample: Our results do not reflect the current clinical procedural standard from a selection of clinical opinion leaders from IBD referral centers but were obtained to a high extent from gastroenterologist in private practice.…”

Faecal analysis in Australia

“…The recent article by Lust et al raises the very contentious issue regarding the retention of the 72‐h faecal fat testing 1 . Some of the issues discussed deserve further amplification and input from the laboratory perspective.…”

The steatocrit as a measure of fecal fat excretion: uses and pitfalls

“…1,2 In the laboratory this may be accomplished by a variety of methods including chemical (chemical titration and gas chromatography), physical (gravimetric methods, near infrared spectrometry), and microscopy.…”