TRIOLEIN-I-131 TOLERANCE IN PATIENTS WITH CORONARY HEART DISEASE.

The value of the oral triolein-I(131) "tolerance" test in the study of patients with coronary heart disease was assessed. Thirtynine patients were divided into three groups: those with clinical evidence of coronary heart disease, those with increased risk, and those with no increased risk of coronary heart disease. The variability of the results precluded differentiation between the groups on the basis of this test. A minority of the patients with coronary heart disease showed strikingly elevated blood levels of lipid-bound radioactivity following the oral ingestion of triolein-I(131). It was concluded that this test is of no use in the diagnosis of coronary heart disease but may identify those patients with coronary heart disease who dispose of orally ingested fat in a grossly abnormal fashion.