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The application of 51Cr-labelled plasma proteins for the detection of proteinlosing gastroenteropathy has important advantages over the use of 131I-albumin or 131I-PVP. The disappearance of 51Cr from the plasma after intravenous administration was found to be almost identical, irrespective of whether a self-prepared 51Cr-albumin, a good commercial preparation of 51Cr-albumin, 51Cr-serum or 51CrCl3 were used. The excretion in the urine of 51Cr presented no remarkable differences after administration of 51Cr-albumin, 51Cr-serum or 51CrCl3. The much faster disappearance of 51Cr from the plasma, after injection of 51Cr-albumin, as compared to 131I after administration of 131I-albumin is probably not due to denaturation of albumin, but to the fact that 51Cr shifts from albumin to other plasma proteins, especially to transferrin.

Tissue fibrinolytic activity, mainly due to activator of tissue plasminogen was increased in the biopsied gastric mucosa of patients with protein-losing gastropathy. Antiplasmin therapy with trans-AMCHA (trans -4-aminomethyl cyclohexane carboxylic acid) was dramatically effective, except in the case of a patient with intestinal lymphangiectasia. These findings suggest that increased fibrinolysis in the gastrointestinal mucosa may play an important role in enhancing mucosal permeability to plasma proteins.