Diagnostic importance of lipoprotein-X (LP-X) in the diagnosis of cholestasis.

In 317 patients with diseases of the liver and bile tract the authors determined LP-X in the serum and the obtained results were compared with the morphological findings in liver tissue or intraoperative examination of the extrahepatic bile ducts. Int he same patients serum bilirubin, total cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase activity, gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase and leucylaminopeptidase activity were determined. In the light of these results the authors believe that detection of LP-X in the serum is a sensitive and specific method in the diagnosis of cholestasis and that it is of greater usefulness than determination of alkaline phosphatase activity. Determinations of other biochemical parameters is of small diagnostic importance in these cases.