Polyvinylpyrrolidone-I 131 as an Indicator of Net Intestinal Water Flux

Abstract

Summary

Polyvinylpyrrolidone labelled with I¹³¹ was compared with polyethylene glycol as an indicator of net water absorption in intestinal perfusion studies. Small losses of PVPI¹³¹ in normal subjects and large losses in patients with sprue could be explained by binding of the polymer to intestinal mucus. The role of this factor in fecal PVPI¹³¹ excretion is discussed. PVPI¹³¹ is not a useful indicator of net water flux in patients with sprue.

We thank Abbott Laboratories for PVPI¹³¹ used in these studies and the Radiation Research Laboratories, State University of Iowa, for providing facilities for measurement of radioactivity.