BILE ACID EXCRETION AFTER DISAPPEARANCE OF JAUNDICE IN INTRAHEPATIC CHOLESTASIS OF INFANCY

In twelve cases of intrahepatic cholestasis of infancy the patients were re-examined 1–58 weeks after disappearance of jaundice. All infants were clinically healthy, but 4 infants showed raised serum transaminase. Cholic acid-24–¹⁴C was injected intramuscularly and the isotope excretion in the urine and faeces was investigated for 4 days after the injection. Most of the isotope was excreted in the faeces. In 5 of the 12 infants the urine contained 9–26% of the administered isotope whereas the other infants excreted less than 5%. No unconjugated labelled cholic acid was excreted. After solvolysis and hydrolysis the major labelled compound was identified as cholic acid. In 7 healthy infants used as controls no cholic and chenodeoxycholic acids were deteted in the urine. All the 12 patients excreted cholic and chenodeoxycholic acids in the urine at the time of the re-examination, the total daily urinary excretion ranging from 0.6 to 3.7 μmol. These results indicated that the bile acid excretion was still impaired after regression of jaundice in the infants who had had intrahepatic cholestasis.