Rapid computation with the personal computer of the percent cholesterol saturation of bile samples

A microcomputer program to calculate the cholesterol saturation of bile is described. The program is designed to accept most of the conventional concentration units for bile salts, phospholipid, and cholesterol. The calculated cholesterol saturation can be corrected for the presence of ursodeoxycholic acid conjugates in bile. The program is designed to make appropriate statements when the input data produce results that are out of range of the solubility data available in the published literature. The program makes possible not only a very rapid calculation of the cholesterol saturation of bile, but eliminates arithmetical errors that are occasionally encountered during conventional calculations.