Long-term effect of medical treatment of diarrhoea in 377 patients with SeHCAT scan diagnosed bile acid malabsorption from 2003 to 2016; a retrospective study.

Background: Excessive amounts of bile acids entering the colon due to bile acid malabsorption cause chronic bile acid diarrhoea. Diagnosis is possible by measuring the retention fraction of orally ingested Selenium homotaurocholic acid (SeHCAT). The knowledge of long-term effects of medical treatment is sparse.

[SeHCAT scanning in bile acid malabsorption].

Chronic diarrhea caused by bile acid malabsorption (BAM) is usually divided into three groups. Type 1 is associated with ileal disease or ileal resection; type 2 is idiopathic, and type 3 is BAM associated with certain predisposing conditions. We evaluated the applicability of the SeHCAT test as a routine investigation of different types of suspected BAM.