[Effect of acute biliary pancreatitis on liver metabolism of phenazone]

In 22 patients with acute pancreatitis caused by biliary calculi and 9 healthy controls the rate of hepatic elimination of phenazone was measured. The aim of the study was evaluation of the oxidative-detoxicating action of the liver in this disease in relation to its severity. In pancreatitis patients the half-time (T2) of phenazone was significantly (p less than 0.01 longer than in healthy subjects (23.6 +/- 10.5 vs 13.2 +/- 7.2 hrs). The T2 of phenazone was not correlated with the concentrations of transaminases, bilirubin and prothrombin, but was correlated positively with the concentration of hepatic lactic dehydrogenase (p less than 0.001). In the initial stage of pancreatitis the T2 of phenazone was without prognostic significance and showed no agreement with Ranson's clinical-laboratory classification of the severity of the disease. The degree of impairment of the hepatic metabolism of phenazone measured with the percent difference between T2 of phenazone in both tests was significantly (p less than 0.05) greater in the group of patients with complications than in those without pancreatitis complications (70.7 +/- 64.4% vs 21.4 +/- 16.2%). Biliary pancreatitis impairs the oxidative-reductive function of the liver proportionally to the degree of hepatic lactic dehydrogenase in the serum. Evaluation of the rate of hepatic elimination of phenazone in the initial stage of this pancreatitis was without prognostic importance for the severity of the disease.