ABSTRACT
To evaluate the significance of IgE antibodies in postoperative follow-up studies of patients with primary hydatidosis, 24 patients with detectable levels of Enchinococcus granulosus-specific IgE as determined by radioallergosorbent test (RAST) were re-examined one month and four months after surgical resection of the cyst. Serum levels of polyclonl IgE as determined by paper radiommunosorbent test (PRIST) were also determined before and after surgery. Anti-Enchinococcus IgE was undetected in 75% and 89% of patients with hepatic or pulmonary hydatidosis, respectively, four months after surgery. In addition, significant decline was observed in the serum polyclonal IgE four months after surgical removal of the cyst in both hepatic and pulmonary hydatidosis. However, surgical removal of pulmoary cyst alone showed no such effect on either polyclonal or Enchinococcus-specific IgE in hepatopulmonary hydatidosis. The results suggest that determination of specific an polyclonal IgE antibodies provide useful serological tests for prognosis and early detection of persistence and recurrence of hydatid disease postoperatively.
ABSTRACT
In a series of 221 patients with various liver diseases studied in Iraq using counterimmunoelectrophoresis and passive haemagglutination techniques, HBsAg was detected in 40.8 per cent of cases with acute viral hepatitis, in 40 per cent in cryptogenic cirrhosis, in 50 per cent in chronic hepatitis, in 100 per cent in active cirrhosis and 71.4 per cent in hepatoma. In acute hepatitis the antigenaemia was highest early in the course of the disease. The duration of antigenaemia ranged from three to 16 weeks. In 3.4 per cent of cases the antigenaemia persisted for more than 35 weeks. In 31.3 per cent of acute hepatitis there was no evidence of parenteral infection.
