A noninvasive test for chronic pancreatitis in which fluorescein dilaurate is administered orally with a meal. Patients with chronic pancreatitis secrete diminished amounts of digestive enzymes into the gastrointestinal tract. As a result they do not digest foods properly and suffer from malabsorption. In this test diminished release of exocrine enzymes by the pancreas results in diminished enzymatic liberation of fluorescein, a decreased uptake of this dye by the liver, and its diminished excretion in the urine. The test has fair (not good) sensitivity and specificity for disease diagnosis and is infrequently used.