Biliary lipid composition in patients with non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis--a comparison with compensated cirrhosis of the liver.

Patients with non-cirrhotic portal fibrosis (NCPF) are known to have mild hepatic functional abnormalities. To study the biliary lipid composition in these patients, duodenal bile was collected from 18 patients with NCPF, 15 patients with non-alcoholic compensated cirrhosis of the liver and 18 matched, non-obese, healthy control subjects. There were no significant differences in the mean (+/- SD) concentrations of cholesterol, phospholipids and bile acids in patients with NCPF and healthy controls. On the other hand, patients with cirrhosis had significantly lower concentrations of all the three biliary lipids as compared with the NCPF patients and controls (p less than 0.05). The cholesterol solubilizing capacity of the bile was the same in NCPF patients, cirrhotics and controls. It is concluded that the relative proportions of the three biliary lipids remain unchanged in patients with NCPF despite mild hepatic derangement.