An algorithm and computer program for deconvolution in linear pharmacokinetics.

The procedure of deconvolution to evaluate the rate and the extent of input from absorption data and data from intravenous administration is the most fundamental and least assumptive method of accurately evaluating drug absorption in linear pharmacokinetics. It is shown for linear systems that if the absorption response and the response from an intravenous infusion or bolus administration are both well approximated by a polyexponential function, then the rate of absorption can be expressed as a sum of exponentials. An algorithm and computer program are presented whereby the absorption function is uniquely defined from the model-independent parameters of the polyexponential expressions fitted to the absorption data and data from intravenous administration. Fitting a sum of exponentials to data has become a routine procedure in pharmacokinetics. The method presented therefore makes the previously complex task of deconvolution a simple procedure. The deconvolution approach is discussed in relation to conventional methods of evaluating drug absorption and appears to have some distinct advantages over these methods. The method is tested using simulated data and demonstrated using pentobarbital and cimetidine data from human subjects.