[Experimental studies on clinical application of 13N-ammonia; a metabolic model and functional image based on animal...

Ammonia has been known to be an inducing agent of hepatic coma associated with liver cirrhosis. In order to establish a non-invasive method of investigating the portal circulation and the metabolism of ammonia at liver the following studies were performed, by using cyclotron produced 13N-labeled ammonia and delayed line-camera interphased with on-line computer system. 1) Animal experiment. Dynamic scintigraphy of thoraco-abdominal region of a rabbit after intrasigmoidal as well as intravenous administration of 13N-ammonia were performed. 2) Theoretical consideration on the functional image of liver: According to the results of the animal experiments, a model of ammonia metabolism having the minimal complexity necessary to represent data in the case of intrasigmoidal administration was proposed. Starting from the solution to the differential equation describing the model, relevant parameters characterizing the dynamic curve of liver were duded.