Effect of ioglycamide (Biligram) on bile flow and biliary lipid secretion in man

Twenty-one anicteric patients with a t-tube in situ were studied between the ninth and 11th postoperative days. Eleven patients were given an intravenous infusion of the biliary contrast agent ioglycamide (Biligram), while the other 10 acted as controls. Bile flow was recorded and the biliary concentrations of ioglycamide, bile salt, phospholipid, and cholesterol estimated in the two groups. The biliary excretion of ioglycamide was associated with a significant choleresis which was probably due to the obligatory coupling of the osmotically active contrast agent molecules with water. Biliary ioglycamide excretion did not significantly alter bile salt secretion rates. In contrast, the biliary secretion of both phospholipid and cholesterol was significantly lowered (P less than 0.001). Unlike chenodeoxycholic acid, ioglycamide significantly reduced bile acid independent cholesterol secretion (P less than 0.01), although secretion rate in terms of mumol of bile acid was essentially unchanged.