A Modified Urinary Excretion Test for Measuring Oral Cobalt#{176} Labeled Vitamin B12 Absorption and its Application in Certain Disease States

BSORPTION of orally admiiimiistered ra(lioacti\’c vitamiiimu 13,, cau h. ’ lucas-immed by t.IiPee niet.hods: fecal ex(retiomi, ’ urituary (‘xclet.iolu following a ‘‘flushimig dose ” of mion-radioact.ive vitamin Bm, ’ ali(1 external miioiuit.orimug over the liver.3 The first iiiethod presemuts ra(tial tliffirtilt.ies ivhiclu limiiit its (liiiical usefulness, amid the third miiet.hod, although the simiiplest to perfomni, is difficult to (jualit.itate. The urimiarv Px(reti)mi miietho(I is simple to l)erforlii, requires less total timiie than the other two mnetliods and for a giveim (lose exposes the patient to the least anioumit of ra(lioactivitv. it \\.5 the l)tln)os( ’ of this stud ’ to: (a) investigate factors influemicimug the uriiia.ry ex(m.(’ti(.)mu test, (b) apply (ertaimi niodifications to the test. iii order to obtain a better separat,iomi between nornial amid l)ermuicious amiemiiia, ttmiti (() (leterniimie the effect of various disease states on the OPIti absomptiomi of vitamuiiiu B,, as Iii(iasum((l liv this test. METHOI)S Clinical.!taterial. Thse control group comssistetl of hiospit alized l)atiem,ts ssl,o had iso evidence of remsal, liver, gust roersterologic, or hseniatologic disease. Souse of t hese l)atieiut