Circadian rhythmic hepatic biliary flow, constituents, concentrations and excretory rates in patients after cholecystectomy.

Twelve adult patients with indwelling common bile duct T-tube were selected for the study of circadian fluctuation of biliary excretion. From the 10th postoperative day on when the enterohepatic circulation was well reestablished a 5 ml bile sample was collected at the end of each 4-h interval for 3 to 4 days for determination of the concentrations of various biliary constituents. This was followed by measurement of bile flow rate by collecting the bile continuously through the T-tube at 4-h intervals for another 3 to 4 days. One quarter of the twelve patients showed no persistent daily fluctuation of all the variables studied. A circadian rhythm was demonstrated by single cosinor rhythmometry in the biliary concentrations of bile acid, cholesterol, phospholipid, bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogenase in the remaining nine patients. Among them six also showed a circadian fluctuation of hepatic bile flow. The lack of synchronization of the rhythm of the concentrations of various biliary constituents with the bile flow rate resulted in undetectability of a circadian rhythm for their excretory rate in the great majority of patients. Those few patients in whom a rhythm remained to be detectable had a much reduced amplitude but the same acrophase. We concluded that bile flow rate played a major role in the circadian rhythm of biliary excretion and might coordinate the fluctuation of the concentrations of various biliary constituents. However, a true circadian rhythm for their concentrations also existed at least in certain subjects.