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Unimpaired Structure and Function During Therapy for Gallstone Dissolution

Silvia Casanova, MD; Aldo Roda, PhD; Davide Festi, MD; Giuseppe Mazzella, MD; Rita Aldini, MD; Franco Bazzoli, MD; Claudia Sama, MD; Antonio M. Morselli, PhD; Luigi Barbara, MD; Enrico Roda, MD

JAMA. 1981;246(22):2597-2601.

Abstract
To test whether long-term oral dosage with chenodiol (chenodeoxycholic acid) used for dissolution of cholesterol gallstones would cause impairment of small-intestinal structure or function, ten patients were studied before and after three months of oral chenodiol administration, 15 mg/kg of body weight per day. Small-intestinal structure was assessed by roentgenogram and intestinal biopsy, using both light and electron microscopy. Small-intestinal function was assessed by xylose, fat and vitamin B₁₂, lactose, and bile-acid absorption. Bile acid metabolism was also characterized by the breath test for deconjugation using carbon dioxide labeled with radioactive carbon 14. No significant abnormalities were found. The results suggest that oral chenodiol administration does not impair intestinal structure or function in doses used for gallstone dissolution.

(JAMA 1981;246:2597-2601)

Author Affiliations
From the Servizio di Anatomia Patalogica, Ospedale M. Malpighi (Dr Casanova), the Instituto di Chimica Generale ed Inorganica (Dr A. Roda), the Instituto di Automatica (Dr Morselli), and the Cattedra di Clinica Medica III (Drs Festi, Mazzella, Aldini, Bazzoli, Sama, Barbara, and E. Roda), Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

Footnotes
Reprint requests to Cattedra di Clinica Medica III, Policlinico S. Orsola, Via Massarenti 9, 40138 Bologna, Italy (Dr E. Roda).

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