Studies of Sulfobromophthalein Sodium (BSP) Metabolism in Man. I. In Normal Subjects and Patients with Hepatic Disease*

Although sulfobromophthalein sodium (BSP, Bromsulphalein) has been used extensively for testing hepatic function since its introduction by Rosenthal and White in 1925 (1), relatively little was learned regarding its transport and metabo- lism until recent years. Disappearance of BSP from the blood after intravenous administration of the dye involves a complicated process (2). It is effected by the interrelated functions of hepatic uptake, storage, conjugation, and biliary excre- tion, each of which may be influenced by such dynamic factors as blood circulation and pro- tein availability (3). The precise role of extra- hepatic metabolism (4) and the importance of the enterohepatic circulation (5) of BSP in the physiology of normal and of pathologic states have not yet been clearly established.