Diagnostic value of antithrombin III and aminopyrine breath test in liver disease

To assess the value of the aminopyrine breath test (ABT) and antithrombin III (AT III) determinations in liver disease, both tests were performed on 77 consecutive patients who underwent liver biopsies for increased values of liver enzymes and in 20 patients with clinical cirrhosis. The mean values of AT III and ABT were significantly lower in cases of liver cirrhosis than in cases of steatosis and steatofibrosis. The AT III and ABT values were abnormal in, respectively, 83.9% (26/31) and 90.3% (28/31) of the patients with cirrhosis and 22.7% (15/66) and 28.8% (19/66) of the patients without cirrhosis. The association of the two tests increased the specificity without modifying the sensitivity. Both the AT III test and the ABT can be used as noninvasive diagnostic procedures for cirrhosis in patients for whom the liver biopsy is not available or contraindicated.