Berlin 2008 – scientific programme
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ST: Fachverband Strahlen- und Medizinphysik
ST 4: Poster Session Radiation and Medical Physics
ST 4.2: Poster
Monday, February 25, 2008, 16:30–17:00, H 2033
Determination of liver function capacity by time-resolved breath tests — •Rubin Tom1, Augustin Sven1, Heyne Karsten1, and Stockmann Martin2 — 1Freie Universität Berlin, Fachbereich Physik, Arnimallee 14, 14195 Berlin — 2Charité Berlin, Klinik für Allgemein-, Viszeral- und Transplantationschirurgie, Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin
In hepatology, a noninvasive and direct method for assessment of the liver function is not available. Breath tests in combination with isotopically labelled compounds are often used to determine the liver function, by measuring the 13CO2/12CO2 ratios in exhaled air on a time scale of tens of minutes. Before exhalation the 13CO2 generated in the liver, is dissolved as 13C bicarbonate in the blood. Decay kinetics of the 13C bicarbonate does therefore not typically reflect its instant generation, especially for longer times. This makes it difficult to derive meaninful information on the functioning of the liver from the 13CO2 kinetics. Here, we report a new experimental approach for measuring the 13CO2 content in exhalated air within seconds, by infrared spectroscopy, which allows monitoring the liver capacity in real-time.