Brief Reports
Copyright ©2005 Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Sep 21, 2005; 11(35): 5521-5524
Published online Sep 21, 2005. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v11.i35.5521
Improvement of quantitative testing of liver function in patients with chronic hepatitis C after installment of antiviral therapy
Matthias Ocker, Marion Ganslmayer, Steffen Zopf, Susanne Gahr, Christopher Janson, Eckhart G. Hahn, Christoph Herold
Matthias Ocker, Marion Ganslmayer, Steffen Zopf, Susanne Gahr, Christopher Janson, Eckhart G. Hahn, Christoph Herold, Department of Medicine I, University Erlangen-Nuernberg, Ulmenweg 18, Erlangen 91054, Germany
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Christoph Herold, MD, PhD, Department of Medicine I, Ulmenweg 18, Erlangen D-91054, Germany. christoph.herold@med1.imed.uni-erlangen.de
Telephone: +49-9131-8535145
Received: January 22, 2005
Revised: February 15, 2005
Accepted: February 18, 2005
Published online: September 21, 2005
Abstract

AIM: To investigate if and to what extent antiviral therapy influenced a broad panel of quantitative testing of liver function (QTLF).

METHODS: Fifty patients with chronic hepatitis C were either treated with interferon (n = 8), interferon/ribavirin (n = 19) or peg-interferon/ribavirin (n = 23). Quantitative testing of liver function, including aminopyrine breath test (ABT), galactose elimination capacity (GEC), sorbitol clearance (SCl) and indocyanine green clearance (ICG) was performed before and 3 mo after initiation of antiviral therapy.

RESULTS: After 3 mo of antiviral treatment, 36 patients showed normal transaminases and were negative for HCV-RNA, 14 patients did not respond to therapy. ABT and GEC as parameters of microsomal and cytosolic liver function were reduced in all patients before therapy initiation and returned to normal values in the 36 therapy responders after 3 mo. Parameters of liver perfusion (SCl and ICG) were not affected by antiviral therapy. In the 14 non-responders, no changes in QTLF values were observed during the treatment period.

CONCLUSION: ICG and SCl remained unaffected in patients with chronic hepatitis C, while ABT and GEC were significantly compromised. ABT and GEC normalized in responders to antiviral therapy. Early determination of ABT and GEC may differentiate responders from non-responders to antiviral treatment in hepatitis C.

Keywords: Aminopyrine breath test; Galactose elimination capacity; Indocyanine green clearance; Sorbitol clearance; Hepatitis C; Interferon; Ribavirin