[The significance of lipoprotein X in the diagnosis of obstructive jaundice: comparison with other biochemical tests (author's transl)].

The reliability of lipoprotein-X demonstration in the diagnosis of obstructive jaundice was tested in 660 patients (1105 samples) and compared with other biochemical studies. Groups of 100 patients each with morphologically proven liver or biliary-tract disease were analyzed in order to determine the frequency with which the demonstration of lipoprotein X and biliary stasis coincided. There was no direct connection between hepatitis B antigen and lipoprotein X. Total cholesterol concentration provided no help in the differential diagnosis of jaundice, although in a series of cases with and without obstruction the mean concentrations differed significantly. Intra- and extrahepatic causes of jaundice and their aetiology could not be clarified merely by demonstrating the presence or absence of lipoprotein X. Nonetheless, it is a simple and safe method for proving biliary stasis.