[Behavior of the aminophenazone breath test in chronic liver diseases]

In 230 patients with histologically ascertained chronic hepathopathies the aminophenazone breathing test in the modification after Haustein and Schenker was carried out. In contrast to a control group consisting of 16 test persons with healthy liver (14CO2 exhalation 1019 +/- 175 DPM/mmol-CO2/70 kg body weight) the hepatic elimination of the [14C]-aminophenazone in chronic liver diseases (626 +/- 203 DPM/mmol CO2/70 kg body weight) was significantly restricted (p less than 0.001). The values of the aminophenazone breathing test showed a dependence on the degree of severity of the liver disease. Hepatoses with partly questionable or slight value of the disease did not differ in their results (841 +/- 230 DPM/mmol CO2/70 kg body weight) from those of persons with healthy liver. Chronic inflammatory liver diseases (668 +/- 185 DPM/mmol CO2/70 kg body weight) occupied an average position (p less than 0.001). The lowest values were to be seen in patients with chronic fibrosing liver diseases, mainly with liver cirrhosis (403 +/- 218 DPM/mmol CO2/70 kg body weight). Compared with the control group the difference was significant (p less than 0.001). Broad regions of overlapping of the individual values of various chronic liver diseases do not allow an unequivocal coordination of regions of the breathing test values to certain morphologically defined chronic hepatopathies. For the determination of size and degree of severity of the damage of liver parenchyma the aminophenazone breathing test, however, may be a valuable help in the framework of a special programme of diagnostics.