A Triple Isotope Technique for Estimation of Fat and Vitamin B12Malabsorption in Crohn's Disease

Abstract
A test for simultaneous estimation of vitamin B12 and fat absorption from stool samples was investigated in 25 patients with severe diarrhoea after operation for Crohn's disease. 51CrCl3 was ingested as a non-absorbable marker, 58Co-cyano-cobalamin as vitamin B12 tracer, and 14C-triolein as lipid tracer. Faeces were collected separately for 3 days. Some stool-to-stool variation in the 58Co/51Cr and 14C/51Cr ratios was seen. When the 58Co-B12 and 14C-triolein excretion was estimated in samples of the two stools with the highest activities of 51Cr, the variations of the estimates were less than +/- 10% and +/- 15% of the doses ingested, respectively. Twelve of the 25 patients were not able to collect faeces and urine quantitatively and separately. However, in all patients faeces with sufficient radioactivity for simultaneous estimation of faecal 58Co-B12 and 14C-triolein excretion from stool samples were obtained.

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