Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for treating a patient having cholesterol calculi which involves infusing into the biliary tract of said patient a C.sub.5 -C.sub.6 ester having a boiling point in the range of 80.degree.-140.degree. C. in an amount and at a flow rate effective to at least partially dissolve said calculi rapidly. It is found that the ester has little or no tendency to accumulate in the blood stream when perfused into a patient, particular as compared to methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE), the solvent widely used at present. The invention also encompasses dissolving cholesterol calculi by exposing such calculi to contact with effective quantities of those solvent compounds. The method preferably uses a high flow rate catheter pumping system for infusing a gallstone dissolution solvent into the gallbladder of a patient and aspirating the gallstone dissolution solvent from the gallbladder, and a unit measure container of the solvent.

Abstract: A method is described for the replacement of bile acid in the biliary tract during conditions of bile acid deficiency which comprises administering an effective amount of a synthetic bile acid comprising the reaction product of a natural bile acid and an N-alkyl amino acid. A critical element of the invention is the presence of the N-methyl amino acid as the conjugating moiety for the synthetic bile acid. Such does not occur in nature, and is a key factor in the ability of the compounds of this invention to be efficacious in the treatment method of the invention.Also described is a bile acid replacement composition which comprises the reaction product of a natural bile acid and an N-alkyl amino acid. The N-alkyl amino acid is an N-alkyl glycine, more preferably N-methyl glycine; the natural bile acid is cholic acid; and in the exemplified embodiment the compound is the N-acyl reaction product of N-methyl glycine and cholic acid, i.e., cholylsarcosine.

Abstract: A composition is described for the dissolution of cholesterol gallstones, which composition is a mixture of monooctanoin and diethyl ether and has a viscosity of not more than 7 cp and can be maintained in the body at a temperature below its boiling point. The volumetric ratio of monooctanoin:diethyl ether will usually be in the range of about 10:90 to about 70:30. The composition can be infused by a variety of techniques including high flow low pressure pumps.

Abstract: Pancreatic exocrine function is determined by a breath test method wherein a radioactive labelled ester such as cholesterol octanoate is ingested in the body and is hydrolyzed by pancreatic enzymes and oxidized to labelled Co.sub.2 which is expired in the breath. The rate of appearance of labelled Co.sub.2 in the breadth is a function of the rate of hydrolysis by pancreatic enzymes which in turn reflects pancreatic exocrine function. Before ingestion, the ester is mixed with a carrier substrate such as a triglyceride to form a lipid matrix containing the ester and the lipid matrix is suspended in aqueous solution. To insure that low levels of expired labelled Co.sub.2 is due to pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, the ester is ingested simultaneously with a differentially labelled unesterfied carboxylic acid or the test method is repeated with an added step of simultaneously ingesting the ester with exogenously provided pancreatic enzymes.

Abstract: The use of a compound having the general formula: ##STR1## wherein n is 0 or a small integer, normally from 1 to 3; R is an alkyl or alkenyl group containing from 4 to 18 carbon atoms; and X is oxygen, sulfur or amide ##STR2## with the further proviso that any one or more of the OH groups can be replaced by a polar zwitterionic group such as NH.sub.4 + SO.sub.3 -; for the treatment of cholesterol gallstones by infusion of the solvent around the gallstones to dissolve them.