Antipyrine clearance and its correlation to routine liver function tests in patients with liver disease

Antipyrine clearance was determined in five healthy volunteers, 10 patients with viral hepatitis and 15 patients with cirrhosis of the liver. The antipyrine clearance in controls was 30.1 +/- 2.5 ml/kg/h (S.E.M.), in patients with viral hepatitis 30.3 +/- 3.9 ml/kg/h and in liver cirrhosis 20.4 +/- 2.7 ml/kg/h. In the patients with liver disease no correlation could be demonstrated between the routine liver function tests and antipyrine clearance. The results are compared to similar studies reported previously. Antipyrine pharmacokinetics do not appear to be a clinically useful index for the hepatic drug metabolizing capacity in the individual patient with liver disease.