Effect of chenodiol on the small intestine. Unimpaired structure and function during therapy for gallstone dissolution.

To test whether long-term oral dosage with chenodiol (chenodeoxycholic acid) used for dissolution of cholesterol gallstones would cause impairment of small-intestinal structuree or function, ten patients were studied before and after three months of oral chenodiol administration, 15 mg/kg of body weight per day. Small-intestinal structure was assessed by roentgenogram and intestinal biopsy, using both light and electron microscopy. Small-intestinal function was assessed by xylose, fat and vitamin B12, lactose, and bile-acid absorption. Bile acid metabolism was also characterized by the breath test for deconjugation using carbon dioxide labeled with radioactive carbon 14. No significant abnormalities were found. The results suggest that oral chenodiol administration does not impair intestinal structur or function in doses used for gallstone dissolution.