15th Workshop of the International Isotope Society–Central European Division: The synthesis and applications of isotopes and isotopically labelled compounds Bad Soden, Germany, June 12–13, 2008

✍ Scribed by Dietrich Seidel; Thomas Hartung

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 387 KB
• Volume: 52
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-2135
• DOI: 10.1002/jlcr.1594

✦ Synopsis

Introduction: Several medical organ function tests with 13 C, known as breath tests, have been used in research and-later on-in clinical routine for about 30 years.

Results and Discussion: For about 25 years our Leipzig group has focused their efforts on an alternative test principle based on 15 N to be used especially in newborn children and infants. The diagnostic agent is chemically the same as the one used for the breath test, but it is labelled with 15 N instead of 13 C. As a consequence, the test result mostly comes from urine instead of breath.

In parallel studies, the new 15 N test principle was found to be equally good as the 13 C principle, but even more beneficial to the very young patients. The advantages apply to the test procedure as well as to the reliability of test results.

Two 15 N urine tests and a 15 N breath test, each for a specific diagnostic aim, were developed:

(1) Liver function test with [ 15 N]methacetin 1 (2) Helicobacter pylori test with [ 15 N]urea 2 (3) Lung function test with [ 15 N]arginine. 3

The test principles and some application examples are discussed.

Extensive studies in epidemiology and environmental medicine have been carried out.

In follow-up studies of a specific population group over several years we then changed from the urine test to the corresponding breath test which is best suited to over-six-years-olds.