[Potentials of enzyme tests and radioisotope hepatography in detecting early functional changes in the liver]

The enzymic tests and radionuclide hepatography were used to study and compare liver function after rabbits were exposed to tetrachloromethane poisoning. The activity of serum enzymes of cholinesterase, alkaline phosphatase, aldolase and leucine aminopeptidase was determined. Hepatography was made with the use of 198Au-colloid with an activity 0.74 MBC. The enzymic tests were demonstrated to be more sensitive than radionuclide hepatography in detecting the earliest parenchymatous lesions in the liver. The data obtained correlate with the data of the pathohistological examinations, which demonstrated the presence of marked vacuole parenchymatous fatty dystrophy. The authors recommend that the enzymic tests should be used for detecting early hepatic lesions induced by tetrachloromethane.