SULFOBROMOPHTHALEIN CLEARANCE TEST

Abstract

One of the most frustrating experiences facing the clinician today is the study of liver function. Since several excellent reviews on this subject appear annually, there is no need to recount the extensive literature in this report. It is conservative to say that the liver is probably involved in more physiologically different processes than any other organ in the body; thus, it is exceedingly difficult to designate any single test as "the" indicator of liver' function. Even the liver biopsy, which is a valuable tool in the identification of liver disease, cannot serve as sole index to liver functions. Microscopic analysis indicates whether the structure appears normal or abnormal, but in neither case can it reveal to what extent the function of this structure is altered. In an attempt to obtain a quantitative assessment of liver function, we described, in a previous publication, a modification of the sulfobromophthalein (Bromsulphalein) excretion