The physical state of bile acids in the diarrhoeal stool of ileal dysfunction.

A method is described for the separation of a diarrhoeal stool into solid and liquid phases. The seven patients studied had varying degrees of ileal resection. Faecal bile acids were measured in supernatant and pellet. Freeze-dried pellet of the patients had significantly higher bile acid content than freeze-dried faeces of the eight controls (patients mean = 55.8 mg bile acids/g freeze-dried faeces; normals = 8.3 mg bile acids/g freeze-dried faeces; P < 0.005). The presence of bile acids in the supernatant of these patients is discussed with regard to the binding capacity of the dietary residue in the colon. The faecal excretion of bile acids throughout the day in three patients was studied using the centrifugation method.