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Quantitative changes of serum lipoprotein‐X after cholestyramine administration in infants with cholestatic biliary tract and liver disease
Author(s) -
POLEY J. R.,
CAPLAN D. B.,
MAGNANI H. N.,
ALAUPOVIC P.,
SMITH E. I.,
CAMPBELL D. P.,
BHATIA M.,
BURDELSKI M.,
BOJANOVSKI D.
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
european journal of clinical investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.164
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1365-2362
pISSN - 0014-2972
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2362.1978.tb00871.x
Subject(s) - cholestyramine , biliary atresia , cholestasis , medicine , gastroenterology , enterohepatic circulation , jaundice , bile acid , endocrinology , cholesterol , transplantation , liver transplantation
5 Department of Pediatrics, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, GFR Abstract. Lipoprotein‐X (LP‐X) was determined before and after the administration of cholestyramine in fifty‐five infants with persistent cholestatic jaundice to differentiate between intra‐ and extrahepatic disease. In twenty‐seven infants with biliary atresia, serum LP‐X prior to cholestyramine ranged from 0.87 to 11.42 g/1 (mean: 3.43 g/l); the average concentration was significantly lower ( P < 0.001) in males. After cholestyramine, LP‐X rose in twenty‐three, remained the same in two, and decreased slightly in two infants. Serum LP‐X was present in twenty of the twenty‐eight infants with intrahepatic cholestasis prior to cholestyramine in concentrations from 0.84 to 14.19 g/l (mean: 3.13 g/l). After cholestyramine, LP‐X decreased in all by an average of 78% ( P< 0.005). The other eight infants did not have LP‐X before or after cholestyramine. This study shows that LP‐X in the serum of infants with cholestatic jaundice indicates severe cholestasis, but is not itself diagnostic of biliary atresia. The differentiation of biliary atresia from other diseases is readily achieved, as the administration of cholestyramine for 2–3 weeks causes a marked decrease of serum LP‐X in patients with patent extrahepatic bile ducts. The absence of serum LP‐X excludes biliary atresia.