Post-prandial and interdigestive return of bile acids to the gallbladder in healthy subjects (original) (raw)

The enterohepatic circulation o f a radioactive marked bile acid (7sSe-HCAT) was studied b y scintigraphy in the post-prandial period as well as after prolonged fasting in healthy young male volunteers in combination with a continuous pressure recording from the antroduodenal region. In a group of 8 subjects the radioactive marker was instilled into duodenum complex cycle was seen with a net filling during Phase 1 and a net emptying during Phase 11. In the study after prolonged fasting the number and duration of the spontaneous gallbladder emptyings in Phase 11 were not different from those in the post-prandial study. However, the amount emptied in per cent of the 75Se-HCAT pool was significantly higher in the group studied after prolonged fasting compared to the group studied in the postprandial period, and accounted for a median of 3.3% (2.0-16.5%) and (1.6&,.0%) of the 75Se-HCAT pool, respectively. This difference is most likely due to an increase in the concentration of gallbladder bile during fasting.