Liver function assessment with three 13C breath tests by two-point measurements

Abstract

In this study, we performed three breath tests – l-[1-13C ]phenylalanine breath test (PBT), l-[1-13C ] methionine breath test, and [13C]methacetin breath test (MethaBT) – in patients with chronic liver disease to determine the optimal timing of expired air collection for diagnosing chronic liver disease and evaluating the grade of fibrosis. The subjects were 61 adults with normal livers, 98 chronic hepatitis patients, and 91 liver cirrhosis patients. We investigated the relationships of breath test results with routine biochemical tests and the Child–Pugh score, as well as the diagnostic capacities of the breath tests for liver dysfunction/cirrhosis and grade of liver fibrosis. For the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis and correlations with liver fibrosis, the accuracy of the PBT at 30 min (PBT30) was similar to that of the MethaBT at 15 min (Metha15). For liver function assessment by two-point measurement with 13C breath tests, we recommend the PBT30 and the Metha15.