Validity of the bromsulphalein test in patients with acute severe upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage

Abstract The bromsulphalein retention test has been used as a screening test to detect unsuspected liver disease in 382 patients presenting with acute gastrointestinal bleeding. Sixty-six of these patients showed abnormal retention on the admission test. Later evaluation indicated that only twenty-five of these patients had true liver disease; thirty-five had normal livers and in six patients the liver status could not be determined. The possible factors responsible for abnormal bromsulphalein retention in patients with normal livers are discussed.