Serum Levels and Clearance of Bile Acids Are Unaffected by Jejunoileal Bypass with 3:1 or 1:3 Jejunoileal Ratio

Abstract

Jejunoileal bypass may impair liver function. The hypothesis of the present study was that this may depend on the jejunoileal ratio of the segment left in continuity in a manner that affects the transport of bile acids from blood to bile. We investigated five extremely obese patients before and 29 patients 3, 9 and 15 months after bypass surgery with a 3:1 or 1:3 jejunoileal ratio of the functioning segment. Routine liver function tests, plasma disappearance rate of intravenously administered ³H-cholic acid and ¹⁴C-24-chenodeoxycholic acid, and fasting and postprandial serum concentrations of total 3-α-hydroxy bile acids showed no appreciable significant relationship with bypass surgery as such, time after surgery, or the jejunoileal ratio of the functioning segment.

Key-words:

• Intestinal bypass
• liver function
• obesity
• serum bile acids