Measurement of Liver-Clearance Rate with Partially Shielded Whole Body Counter

With the same method we developed in our institute to measure the clearance rate of the kidneys we have performed measurements of the functional stage of the liver. The labelled substances we used are 131I-rose-bengal and colloidal 198 Au. In contrast to former methods we measure a real clearance rate of these two substances in the liver. The method is based on the general formula Cl = (-dm/dt/cp) (Cl = clearance rate, dm/dt = change of the substance used per unit of time in the whole body, cp = concentration in the plasma). The clearance rate of 131I-rose-bengal is an indicator for the function of the liver cells and that of colloidal gold under certain conditions a direct measurement of the blood flow in the liver. Details of the measurement are discussed and the results compared with clinical, laboratory and histological findings. (author)