Summary and conclusions
The absorption of fat was studied in 49 subjects, using the radioisotopic triolein and oleic acid technics, chemical fecal fat determination, and the vitamin A tolerance test.
There is very poor correlation between the peak blood values and the percentage excreted in the stools, either for triolein or for oleic acid. Only very low peak values after triolein-lower than 2%/L.—are consistent with an abnormal excretion.
Every patient with chemical fat higher than 5 gm./24 hr. had fecal excretion of triolein higher than 15%.
More than half the patients with fecal excretion of triolein higher than 5%, had fecal fat lower than 5 gm./24 hr. Nearly all these false positives came from patients who had had partial gastrectomy. In this group only one had gross steatorrhea, but 9 had abnormal triolein absorption, when triolein was given in a very unstable emulsion.
In a different group, with partial gastrectomy also and no steatorrhea, the absorption of triolein given in a very stable finely emulsified suspension was normal.
The abnormal absorption of triolein in people with a pathologic pancreatic condition was confirmed; it was more or less parallel with that for fecal fat.
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We are grateful to Prof. F. Madeira, Director of the Department of Medical Therapeutics, for his very helpful advice, and to Prof. Toscano Rico, Director of the Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, for providing facilities for this work.
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Correia, J.P., Coelho, C.S., Godinho, F. et al. Use of labeled triolein and oleic acid in the study of intestinal absorption. Digest Dis Sci 8, 649–665 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02290202
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02290202