[Clinical significance of the combined determination of alpha 1 fetoprotein, lipoprotein X, and hepatitis B antigen and antibodies].

In a four-year prospective study 4000 patients of a gastroenterologic and hematologic department were screened for alpha1-fetoprotein (AFP), lipoprotein-X (LPX), and hepatitis-B antigen and antibody (HBsAg, HBsAb). Only histologically confirmed results were used for the evaluation of this study. Liverscintigraphy using 99m-Tc-S-colloid was performed as the morphological examination. 85% of focal liver diseases were seen as space-occupying lesions in the radioscan. The interpretation of their dignity was performed with success by means of 67-galliumcitrate with an overall diagnostic accuracy of 90%. With the methods, presented in this paper, positive results of AFP-LPX-, HBsAg- and HBsAb-determinations mean, without exception, an informational gain. In 1241 of 4000 patients, 1417 positive results were recorded. In combination with two-step radionuclide-scintigraphy as the morphological element of our screening procedure, focal diseases of the liver are no longer a diagnostic problem. Additional information of diagnostic relevance is expected in about 35% of all diffuse hepatocellular diseases.