title: Use of lidocaine metabolism to test liver function during the long-term follow-up of liver transplant recipients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of the monoethylglycinexylidide (MEGX) test to monitoring the long-term function of liver allografts.
  
  
  METHODS
  MEGX production was measured prospectively in 60 consecutive liver transplant recipients undergoing their annual review.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median MEGX values in liver recipients (54 ng/mL; range 10-146) were lower than those found in healthy controls (78 ng/mL; range 44-118). MEGX values correlated negatively with alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity (p = 0.004) and with the overall histological score (p = 0.01), and positively with sulfobromophthalein (BSP) and indocyanine green (ICG) clearances (p = 0.0002 and p = 0.002, respectively). A stepwise decline was observed with worsening liver fibrosis, from 71 +/- 5 microg/L in patients with no fibrosis to 27 +/- 9 microg/L in patients with bridging fibrosis (p = 0.002). BSP and ICG clearances correlated more closely than the MEGX test with the overall histological score (p = 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively) and portal fibrosis (p = 0.002 and p = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The measurement of MEGX formation is a simple and non-invasive method to monitor liver graft function. It may constitute a valuable tool for assessing the degree of fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Service de chirurgie digestive, Hopital Cochin, Paris, France. filomena.conti@cch.ap-hop-paris.fr
authors.forename: Filoména
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Conti
authors.forename: Bertrand
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dousset
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cherruau
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guérin
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Soubrane
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Houssin
authors.forename: Yvon
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Calmus
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008012:Lidocaine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008111:Liver Function Tests / Q000379:methods*; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D008012:Lidocaine; C001173:monoethylglycinexylidide