Influence of portacaval anastomosis on serum and biliary unsulfated bile acid composition in patients with liver cirrhosis.
Serum and biliary unsulfated bile acids were studied using a gas chromatographic method in 8 patients before and 2 months after portacaval anastomosis. Total serum bile acids were 21.6 +/- 3.6 mumol/liter before and 68.0 +/- 8.6 mumol/liter after surgery (P less than 0.005). Cholic acid rose from 26.5 +/- 3.4% to 33.8 +/- 4.8% (P less than 0.02) of the total serum bile acids, while chenodeoxycholic acid decreased from 67.9 +/- 4.1% to 60.8 +/- 4.3% (P less than 0.05). The relative concentration of cholic and chenodeoxycholic acids in bile increased slightly but not significantly after surgery, while deoxycholate fell from 8.5 +/- 1.7% to 2.1 +/- 0.6%.


CONCLUSIONS
(1) in cirrhosis the serum and biliary bile acid composition are markedly different, the cholic-chenodeoxycholic ratio being much lower in serum than in bile; (2) after portacaval anastomosis serum and biliary bile acid patterns tend to become similar; (3) percent biliary deoxycholate decreases significantly after surgery.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001646:Bile / Q000378:metabolism*; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D002635:Chenodeoxycholic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D002793:Cholic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D003840:Deoxycholic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008095:Lithocholic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011167:Portacaval Shunt, Surgical
D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D002793:Cholic Acids; D003840:Deoxycholic Acid; D002635:Chenodeoxycholic Acid; D008095:Lithocholic Acid