Abstract
As simple and nonsurgical means of differentiating biliary atresia (BA) from intrahepatic cholestasis of unknown origin (IC), liver function tests including serum lipoprotein-X (LP-X) and γ-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGTP) were done and evaluated for their usefulness in the diagnosis of 27 cholestatic Japanese young infants. Except for LP-X and GGTP levels (P<0.01, P<0.001), there were no significant differences between the BA (n=11) and IC (n=13) groups. When values of mean plus 4 standard deviations were used to differentiate BA from IC (89 mg/100 ml for LP-X and 194 IU/l for GGTP), all BA patients gave positive results for either the crtical LP-X of GGTP values. On the other hand, all IC patients gave negative results for both levels, although patients with a paucity of intrahepatic biliary ducts (n=3) were also positive for either the critical LP-X or GGTP values. The combination test with serum LP-X and GGTP is recommended for helping to differntiate BA from IC in cholestatic young infants.
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Abbreviations
- BA:
-
biliary atresia
- IC:
-
intrahepatic cholestasis of unknown origin
- LP-X:
-
lipoprotein-X
- GGTP:
-
γ-glutamyltranspeptidase
- PIBD:
-
paucity of the intrahepatic bile duct
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Tazawa, Y., Yamada, M., Nakagawa, M. et al. Significance of serum lipoprotein-X and gammaglutamyltranspeptidase in the diagnosis of biliary atresia. A preliminary study in 27 cholestatic young infants. Eur J Pediatr 145, 54–57 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00441853
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00441853