Potential use of liver function breath tests in the clinical practice.
BACKGROUND
Assessment of hepatic functional reserve in acute and chronic liver disease is a discriminating factor for prognostic and therapeutic reasons. For this reason dynamic liver function tests have been developed.


OBJECTIVE
To review the breath method with stable carbon isotopes in hepatological setting.


METHODS
We conducted a literature review to analyze the experimental evidence about the diagnostic potential of breath tests of liver function.


RESULTS
Liver breath tests are able to discriminate between healthy subjects and patients with liver cirrhosis. The use for the assessment of liver fibrosis seems to be still burdened with less capability to discriminate between intermediate stages.


CONCLUSIONS
Liver breath test are a promising tool for the evaluation of hepatic functional reserve but the use of such methods in clinical practice is limited to specialized or research centers. Most extensive studies are necessary to facilitate the spread of these methods in clinical practice.
Institute of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy. luca.miele@rm.unicatt.it.
L
L
Miele
G
G
Marrone
C
C
Cefalo
S
S
D'Achille
G L
GL
Rapaccini
A
A
Gasbarrini
A
A
Grieco
D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001944:Breath Tests; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005740:Gases; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism*; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis
D015415:Biomarkers; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D005740:Gases; D002245:Carbon Dioxide