[Chemico-experimental data on the principal bile constituents in patients with obstructive jaundice]

Bile samples from patients suffering from cholestasis were tested. Cholesterol, phospholipids, and bile acids (cholic, lithocholic, deoxycholic, chenodeoxycholic) were measured and the methods for the gas-chromatographic determination of cholesterol and major bile acids as well as for the colorimetric determination of phosphorus in phospholipids of human bile are described in extenso. Bile samplings were first carried out on the day the drainage tube was positioned and were repeated every 5 days for four times. Between the first and the last sampling, 1250 mg of phosphatidylcholine was intravenously administered to each patient daily. The aim of the experiment was to evaluate the possible variations in the bile constituents occurring over the specified time.