OBJECTIVETo explore the impacts of physiological factors on liver volume in patients with or without cirrhosis and to investigate its correlation with two different hepatic function scoring systems.

METHODSTotally 44 consecutive patients without any suspicious hepatic disease and 17 contemporaneous patients who had been diagnosed as cirrhosis by natural history, clinical performance, past-imaging examination (ultrasound or CT), and serum tests were enrolled. Contrast enhanced abdomen CT scan was performed with 64-slice CT (target study phase: portal phase; reconstruction slice thickness: 2mm; slice interval: 2mm; Kernel value: B30s Smooth). We defined the concept of liver body index (LBI) = total liver volume (TLV) (cm3)/[1000 x body surface areal (BSA) (m2)]. The correlations between liver volume and individual physiological factors were analyzed, and the relationships between volume parameters and two hepatic scoring systems of cirrhosis group were explored.

RESULTSThe average TLV was (1249 +/- 248) cm3 in control group. TLV correlated well with patient's height, weight, and BSA (r = 0.5285, r = 0.5754, r = 0.6210 ; P < 0.01), and weakly correlated with body mass index (r = 0.3074, P < 0.05). TLV weakly negatively correlated with age (rs = -0.3342, P < 0.05). There was no significant difference of TLV grouping by sex when setting weight as covariant factor. In cirrhosis group the liver volume was not correlated with the patients' weight or BSA. The average liver volume was decreased to (1044 +/- 300) cm3, which was significantly different from that in control group (P < 0.01). While Child-Pugh was not correlated with volume parameters in cirrhosis group, model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score was significantly correlated with LBI (r = -0.6937, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONTLV relates to several physiological factors in general population. MELD score, rather than Child-Pugh score, correlates with TLV and LBI in patients with cirrhosis.