Intestinal xylose degradation and bile acid deconjugation in patients with continent or conventional ileostomy.

Intestinal bacterial overgrowth was investigated in ten patients with continent ileostomy and in eight with conventional ileostomy, using the bile acid deconjugation test and the (14C)xylose test. Bile acid deconjugation was significantly greater in the continent ileostomy than in the conventional ileostomy group. There was a positive correlation between fecal 14C after oral administration of cholyl-(14C)glycine and the extent of bile acid deconjugation, suggesting that deconjugation occurred in the distal ileum. There was no difference in (14C)xylose degradation rate between the two groups of patients, supporting the view that the (14C)xylose breath test reflects microbial activity in the proximal small intestine.