Oral ursodeoxycholic acid tolerance test in patients with digestive disease

Serial measurement of serum bile acid levels was carried out in patients with digestive diseases before and after oral loading with 500 mg of ursodeoxycholic acid. In control cases, serum bile acid reached the maximum level 30 min after loading. Elevation also, of cholic, chenodeoxycholic and deoxycholic acid levels was noted in addition to marked enhancement of the ursodeoxycholic acid level. In patients with chronic aggressive hepatitis and cirrhosis, the serum bile acid level was higher than the controls in fasting state, and increased more significantly after loading. On the other hand, in patients with small intestinal disorders, the serum bile acid level in fasting state tended to be lower than the controls, and became significantly lower after loading. Thus, oral ursodeoxycholic acid tolerance test is found to be useful as a diagnostic test for digestive diseases.