By measurement of parameters such as body weight, circumferentiallength of theupper arm, blood plasma proteins of total protein(TP), albumin(Alb), cholinesterase(ChE) and rapid turn over proteins of transfection(Tf), prealbumin(PA) and retinol-binding protein(RBP), nutritional conditions were assessed in 31 oral disease patients who received an elemental diet(Elental®) after maxillo-facial surgery. The results were as follows: both body weight and circumferential length of upper arm muscles did not exactly reflect the nutritional condition while PA and RBP decreased immediately after the surgery to near 80% of the preoperative values, and recovered within a week from the decreasement. Decreases in Tf, Tp, Alb and ChE were not so significant. Compared with rapid turn-over of proteins, TP, Alb and ChE varied slowly. From these, it seemed that PA and RBP were more utilizable for the follow-up of rapid changes in the nutritional condition, and proteins such as TP, Alb and ChE were likely as useful for more static natritional assessment. From the fact that 2 weeks after the operation, all rapid turn-over proteins increased to about 115% of the original level.
It seemed likely that administrated Elemental played an advantageous role in supporting good nutritional condition
