High molecular weight alkaline phosphatase: a clinical study.

High molecular weight alkaline phosphatase activities have been measured in the sera of 72 patients with a variety of forms of liver disease, 14 patients with bone disease and 8 healthy volunteers. These measurements have been compared with measurements of other indices of hepatic function in order to establish the place of this enzyme in the diagnosis of liver disease. High molecular weight alkaline phosphatase proved to be a sensitive and specific tests for detecting liver disease, particularly obstructive liver disease. It was better than all the other liver function tests in distinguishing liver metastases from other hepatobiliary diseases. It may therefore prove especially useful in the early detection of liver metastases.