Bile salt malabsorption in regional ileitis, ileal resection, and mannitol-induced diarrhea

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Abstract

Fecal bile salt excretion was studied in healthy volunteers, patients with regional ileitis, and patients with ileal resection. 10 μc of carboxyl-14C-cholic acid was given orally. Stools and urine were collected daily for 5-10 days, the bile salts extracted, and the radioactivity assayed. Urinary excretion was negligible. All patients with ileal resection excreted bile salts in the feces significantly faster than controls, and five of the six excreted 50% of the radioactivity within 24 hr. Their mean intestinal transit time was 5.6 hr compared to 26 hr for the controls. Two of the three patients with regional ileitis excreted bile salts almost as rapidly as patients with ileal resection. Vitamin B12 absorption was also defective in those patients, but the intestinal transit time was not decreased.

Authors

Walter E. Meihoff, Fred Kern Jr.