Evaluation of blood studies in diagnosis of diseases of the liver

Liver Function Tests

“…The literature is too vast to be reviewed here in detail, and for recent discussions of this topic the reader is referred to the papers by Sophian and Connolly (1952), Kihn et Sufficient data have accumulated since the introduction of most of the flocculation tests to put us into a position to do some rigorous pruning. It is the writer's considered opinion that for one reason or another that cannot be discussed here in detail we can now afford to discard the following as liver function tests: The formol gel and Takata-Ara reactions, the Weltmann coagulation band, the colloidal gold and colloidal silver reactions and probably the cephalin-cholesterol and cadmium sulphate reactions.…”

“…It enables us to determine correctly the albumin:gamma-globulin ratio, which is difficult to obtain by the single stage salting-out procedure as the latter method precipitates the alpha-one-globulin with the albumin fraction. A true albumin: gamma-globulin ratio has considerable diagnostic and prognostic value (Popper et al,I951), whereas the ordinary albumin:globulin ratio is of little value in liver disease (Rafsky et al, 1950;Baker, 1951;Sophian and Connolly, 1952). The failure of the crude albumin:globulin ratio is largely due to the erratic behaviour of both the alpha-globulins as also to the fact that the beta fraction is increased in obstructive jaundice as well as in toxic and infective hepatitis (Popper et al,I951).…”