Clinical Application of Cobalt60-Labeled Vitamin B12Urine Test

Abstract

SCHILLING¹ has observed that normal patients excrete definite amounts of radioactive substances in the urine after an oral dose of 2 microgm. of vitamin B₁₂ labeled with cobalt⁶⁰ and a parenteral "flushing" dose of 1000 microgm. of the nonradioactive vitamin B₁₂. In contrast, patients with pernicious anemia in remission excrete no detectable radioactivity in the urine when the labeled vitamin is administered with water or boiled gastric juice. However, the simultaneous administration of active gastric juice with the oral dose of vitamin B₁₂ labeled with cobalt⁶⁰ results in easily detectable amounts of radioactive substances in the . . .